Debatable? Of course. Generational? Definitely. Let me first state that this is not a grading scale of any sort for the Apple store. This discussion will be solely based on the benefits and drawbacks of the finger-sized squares on our social ‘life-lines’.

Dictionary.com provides us with the broad definition of “an application, typically a small, specialized program downloaded onto a mobile device.” Merriam Webster mentions it as “a computer program that performs a special function.”

Is it just me or do these sites make apps out to seem way more robotic than they really are? I mean, do you really see Instagram as aesthetically pleasing pictures or do you see that little number marked with the word ‘likes’ that provide some odd social standard?

When browsing twitter, is it to catch up on the news or is it an infinite scroll of entertainment?

Apps are not programs or downloads. Of course by literal standards they are. But oh no no, the meaning lies way deeper.

Apps provide an escape in awkward situations. A go-to when a date gets too quiet or when a class lacks your interest in the slightest.

Let’s be honest, phones are not the distraction, apps are.

The majority of the time, do you pull your phone out to call someone or use your calculator? Or is it to scroll through the endless array of social media or to get the satisfaction through streaks on snapchat?

These needs are psychological needs and the app industry has capitalized on it.

The drawbacks of apps are almost on a subliminal level, but the benefits are quite obvious.

They range from instant communication to ordering your pizza with the tap of a finger. More importantly, apps have developed a new way of learning for children with disabilities or a way of tracking medical data for people with a chronic disease that would otherwise be tedious work.

In this light, apps provide clarity and order. Every app was created with a purpose and all that becomes worth something one way or another.

So. Are apps good or bad?

I think they cause more harm than good. Although there are apps out there that are extremely helpful, apps have gotten a reputation as a great time waster and distraction.

At the end of the day, social media apps, mobile game apps, and other apps of that nature are the common apps that the majority of mobile users go on as opposed to beneficial or educational apps.

Countless citizens get into a car everyday knowing that too many lives have been lost in that exact vehicle. How many minutes, hours and days of lives are lost to this hand held vehicle of the mind?

Once people learn how get distracted by other things besides by the apps on their phone, then apps can be viewed as more beneficial than harmful. Until then, apps are more harmful than beneficial.