The effect of software on other technology standards

     When the smart phone was first popularized it became possible for people to browse the internet with ease from their mobile device, but it also sparked the app development revolution.  Since then millions of apps have been released ranging from games to organizational software to advanced clocks and calculators.  A latent effect of these apps however, is the replacement of de facto technology standards that many may not have realized existed.  For years the digital alarm clock was the most common choice in time telling devices that could wake you up with annoying noises, but since the development of virtual alarm clock software, these devices are relics of the past.  Talk to most young people with a smart phone and they will admit that they don't use a physical clock anymore because it's just easier to set alarms on the device they use for everything else, but talk to those who are still jaded about the speed with which these technologies have advanced, and you will find that this new standard is not so common.  The unification of a wide range of technologies is not entirely a bad thing though. As companies bring their technology to the virtual world, the environmental impact of the production of outdated technologies is definitely reduced, but there are aspects of the social impact that many may not consider.
     Cell phones carry so much connected digital content now a days that even when younger generations (myself included) set their alarms and head to bed, they bring the alarm with them because it is also holds access to their Facebook, Twitter, instant messages, music, games, and basically the entire internet.  A study performed in Australia links electronic device usage in bed to severely disrupted sleep patterns, especially in younger people.  This may be a side effect developers like apple may not have considered when they promoted the standard of fancy on-board alarm clocks alongside with all of the late-night distractions that they distribute through their app store.
     The development of apps in general has still showed little signs of stopping and this should make us look to our current technology standards and understand the roles that older technologies play in our society before all physical devices that play possibly obscure roles are merged into the single new standard for technological needs: the cellphone.