The Pros and Cons of Mobile Computing

I’ve always enjoyed mobile computing or the ability to do computing tasks with my mobile devices anywhere. Mobile computing has given me the flexibility to multi-task and maximize my time. Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been a great experience.

Here are some of my good and bad observations in mobile computing.

The Good

• Being productive during down time. Obviously, being able to work virtually anywhere is the best benefit of the mobile computing. There are times when you want to do some work when you have some down time, like when you’re waiting for your flight, waiting for someone in a restaurant, and other waiting activities.
• Being able to work when you least expect it. There are times when you suddenly need to do some report, respond to an important email, or send a file asap. During these times, it’s reassuring to know that you can just power on your mobile device and start working! Globalization has made working with co-workers from other countries and different timezones a necessity. As a result, your working hours is oftentimes disregarded by your foreign counterparts.
• Being able to play my multimedia collection anywhere. All work and no play can may you a dull person.

The Bad

• Rest time is no longer rest time. Although we can do some tasks on our computers during our rest time or down time, it also takes away actual time for rest. Our minds and bodies need time to calm down and recharge, too.
• Work-Life Imbalance can happen. This is another sad consequence of mobile computing. Because we can do our work anywhere, we tend to work at home. When we do work from home, or when we bring home our work, we eat up time we can spend for our family, or for personal time. This imbalance often results in workaholism.
• We become connected 24/7. As cool as it may sound, being connected 24/7 is not healthy. Being connected all the time can keep you up all night resulting in lack of sleep. Lack of sleep has been proven to cause a lot of sickness. Another ill effect of being connected 24/7 is the one mentioned in the previous bullet point: work-life imbalance.

There are more good and bad observations about you may think of about mobile computing. The negative aspect of it can be fixed by setting your priorities straight and developing self-discipline. And, like most things in life, moderation is key.