Earlier this week, Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz made a statement on CNN that has ruffled more than a few feathers. In essence, Chaffetz insisted that financially struggling households should forego frivolously spending money on smartphones, iPhones in particular, and instead prioritize healthcare. Politicians of all shapes, sizes, and parties have made this claim, including former President Barack Obama. But, politics and price tags aside, claiming smartphones are not vital to everyday life is flat out wrong. In the today’s digital age, smartphones are a necessity, not a luxury. According to a study from the Pew Research Center: Those numbers alone should be more than enough proof that smartphones have become essential to performing everyday tasks. Whether you’re applying for a job, looking up information about a job, or doing online banking, which 18 percent, 43 percent, and 57 percent of users have done on a smartphone respectively, these pocket-sized devices have done more than made life easier; they’ve completely changed the way things get done.
This necessity becomes even more dire for financially struggling households. The study showed that 13 percent of individuals in households earning less than $30,000 a year are smartphone-dependent (without broadband at home and lack a viable secondary option), opposed to only 1 percent of individuals in households earning more than $75,000 a year. It’s not 2008 anymore. Smartphones are no longer luxury items that your spoiled, 15-year-old cousin got for his birthday. They aren’t only found in extravagant celebrity gift bags at the Oscars after party. And most importantly, they’re not an optional expenditure for anyone hoping to thrive in a professional capacity. Smartphones are a necessity. Get over it.
