Free Custom «The App Effect» Essay Paper

The authors of app effect book argue that people’s behaviors are changing with advances in mobile and social technologies. They further contend that organizations have to respond to these changes. It is clear once an individual or organization fails to advance with technology it drugs behind and my even collapse. On this book, the authors set to explore how changes in technology have affected people, organizations, and societies. Smartphone and tablets together with their apps have engraved a new deeper digital functionality in individual lives. This is evident through a number of outlined ways. This statement affirms that there is so much in the development of their life. In this context, the authors by using the word App effect are trying to describe the results or the expected outcomes from the use of mobile technology in the lives of individuals and the way business is being conducted.

Currently individual and businesses are on high alert in the identification of the advantages of mobile apps and seizing this opportunity.  According to Mandel & Scherer, 2012, majority of Americans posses smart phone, and there has been a continued rise in the number of apps in the Apples apps store as well as apps for android operating system. These developments have led to increase in the number of jobs in the app economy. App economy jobs are found in both small and large enterprises technology and non-tech ones. Many companies have surprisingly adopted the app economy through hiring workers to develop their own tailor made apps. Companies and businesses are also creating new ways on how they interact with customers and employees using apps. Moreover, the rapid growth of apps has elicited a reaction from government through the development of the new government policies and regulations (Mandel & Scherer, 2012). These arguments points to the availability of the apps affect.

Today, many firms are recognizing the importance of the mobile technology. On contrary to the past, majority of the Americans now own a Smartphone, which is being used as the means of communication and other functions such as statistics. According to Mandel, the government of America is trying to improve the use of technology by advocating and giving license to the people concerned in the development of these applications using various tools. Nevertheless, fast growth of these applications has promoted the economic growth of the country. Therefore, the United States government have formulated and changed some of the policies that will see forward movement of the country economy. Mobile application affects the entire population not only in the United States but also globally. Many organizations in the United States are developing using the technology to run all its activities in a very smooth way 

Is there an App for Almost Everything?

The world’s largest collection of apps is contained in the Apples app store. It is argued that with the introduction of smart phones apps that can measure almost everything have developed. The greatest developments of apps have been witnessed in the health care sector. Murphy 2012 argues that apps that can measure almost anything have been developed. He further adds there are thousands of choices to choose. He indicates that these apps can measure the number of glasses of water one had taken in a day, how well one sleeps, how many calories a person gains or loses and the list of these apps continuity. According to Murphy, the current applications can be used to diagnose the various diseases in the globe. He clearly states that the available applications can be used to determine the amount of water a person has taken during the day and other operations.

Other application that makes the phenomenon of the apps effect look like that it is possible to have an app that can do almost everything. The word press is the app that allows bloggers to use its application. An app allows bloggers to post edit pages, upload photos, and even manage comments. A variety of apps combined gives the notion that apps can perform almost everything, ranging from health issues aspects, entertainment apps and physical practices apps (Victoria, 2009). The characteristics of apps is embedded on their influence on the different sections of the society ranging from technology, economy, culture and even more on historical aspects of society. The fact that apps are able to influence all these aspects creates an argument that apps can almost do everything.

Previously people used to conduct gaming in games such as scramble, but with the onset of games application on mobile screens, this culture has been extensively changed and a new culture adopted. This is because many people cannot find time to play such games, and hence games applications have monopolized this culture. For, example iPhone games are more attractive to a huge load of people since they have features that allow users to customize games to their specifications. Further most apps are easily downloadable and hence easy to access and perform all the functions they are tailored. For example, cardstock is currently offered to be downloaded free. It allows users to leave-to-leave their rewards and club cards at home. This is because it easily stores rewards and club cards on the phone where most dealers can access them from their screens. Today, many bloggers have used this application for their own benefits in that they are capable of creating various sub-applications for the purpose of their own gains. For example, word press has been used to create these applications to deceive people to give out their identities and other personal details. Nevertheless, the combination of these applications has boosted the performance of activities in the economy leading to a secure place. 

Mobile Apps in Health Care

With the major development in the apps industry, the health sector is set to benefit from these major growths. Currently several apps have been developed deal with serious health issues. Consultation through twitter has been developed. Consultation through social sites has been evidenced such as in tweeter, face book among others. The use of the instant messaging applications has boosted the growth of health sectors. Today, healthcare has greatly been met in the society whereby the communication between the doctors and the patients has been through these applications. The relationship between these two parties has led to the improvement f the health sectors. According to a Dutch physician, Bart Brandenburg has been given as an example of a health profession who has used twitter to give consultation to a patient with a leg wound. This consultation resulted in hour longs consultations through twitter. Through this illustration, more and more physicians are being convinced that the internet and apps are going to be vital in the health care system. Another illustration of the applications of off the power of consumerism of apps in the health sector is illustrated by Dave ePatient. Dave Debronkart, ePatient had kidney cancer at an advanced stage. Working with fellow patients, he was able to find the cure in a digital manner and succeed where doctors did not. However, this practice has its own critics since patients cannot be doctors or vice versa. This case of ePatient Dave illustrates that there is a lot of knowledge and willingness to share through apps (Bloem, Doorn, Duivestein, & Sjöström, 2012). According to Bloem, the people in the United States are capable of helping anyone who may seek help about the use of these applications.

PatientsLikeMe is another platform where knowledge is shared. People with similar diagnosis came together and linked with the pharmaceutical industry to direct research to their advantage. Patients would be continually us apps such as instant me to report their state of mind. Glowcaps is another intriguing phenomenon used in the health care system. This is represented by a medicine bottle, which would emit a signal. When this bottle is opened this is recorded. Glowcap is a complex system of information that is used to remind the patient on the times to take their prescriptions. It involves the doctor, family, patient, and family working together to stimulate the right behavior of the patient, which is to take the prescription. These forms the basis of a sample of the apps used in the healthcare sector. Others include devices that are used for prevention of diseases such as PhilipsDirectlife, mediafit armband, iPhone app sleep cycle, and Withings WiFi scale. These devices are very crucial in the development of the health sector. Normally, these devices are used to improve the management of the health sectors. United States is among the countries that are implementing these applications as they are fastening things. The use of the Android operating system has been promoted the development of these applications in that they are capable of developing applications that are capturing the requirements of the people concerned in the health sectors. These are used as sensors on the hands of the patient, and they record different parameters such as blood pressure, heart beat, number of calories burnt and even  how much one weighs. These kinds of apps have been used to revolutionize the health sector (Bloem, Doorn, Duivestein, & Sjöström, 2012).

Another important app in this industry is the community app for American fire department. This app is used when there is an acute need of a doctor in such cases like when a heart attack occurs on a patient. If someone near has the fire department app it will send a message to the department that has location and the aid that is expected by the person. This is an important feature as it saves extreme damages in the time of the fire. It is created on the assumption that when the message is sent somebody with the basic knowledge of first aid around and hence come to the aid of the patient. An unpretentious and effective app utilizes smart phones applications. On addition to this, this number of health care apps uses GPS locator. For example, the Mobile Personal Trainer app developed by the University of Udine uses this technology. Another app that uses this technology is the digital Trainer Evita which uses GPS to do a fitness trail in the woods. It also explains how certain equipments work along the trail in the woods and encourage the person in case of a dip.

According to the experts, considerable strides in the health sector can only be made if digital electronic records are maintained. However, for this to happen, confidence in the systems must be created among patients and hospital staffs. Resistance is always met on such projects especially if the governments initiate them. This is especially so because people do not trust governments with their information.   Further in such cases when information is stored in apps, there is no clear explanation as to the owner of the information is and who would bear liability in case of an abuse of the information.  Finally, patients have no capability of deleting incorrect information. According to the Forbes magazine writer Newell, mobile apps will transform the health care in five different ways. These includes; through improving access to health care, improving patient engagements by reducing complexities such as long lines, lack of transparency in cost and quality, providing new opportunities for health professionals and new business models, offering an opportunity for fraud in Medicare and also increasing the chances of patient safety (Newell, 2012).

By 2015, around 1.5 billion people will be using smart phones, and in estimation, it is clear that around one third of this population will be using smart phones apps in health practices. Based on this aspect, more personalized advice and practices in the marketing industry will be offered within the health sector based on individual empowerment behavior in regards to digital technology. Automatic diagnosis will be offered in the near future thus hastening and enhancing medical assistance. Furthermore, electric record maintenance by medical staff will make sure that they are well prepared before the patients arrive at the health care facility. Supermarkets and best stores will be transformed to health care centers. This is because purchasing advice on health products will be offered based on what the patients want to buy and what is on offer at store. It is notable that, through the Use customized videos, clinical prognosis will be easily done and visualized. Tourism in the healthcare will most likely be a normal thing throughout the world. This will affect costs, as patients will be travelling wide in the world to get good health care. Severely disabled people will be assisted by computer based interfaces (Bloem, Doorn, Duivestein, & Sjöström, 2012).

Good health that minimizes costs is the responsibility of individual persons. Therefore, it is projected that more apps will continue to be distributed to hospitals, that doctors, and patients will adopt their use. This will particularly occur through the pharmaceutical industry and both public insurances such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as private insurances. Further smart phones and tablets apps will become prominent in the optimization of dispensing drugs, costs and medical clinics to direct behaviors that affect the demand and supply side of health care (Bloom, Doorn, Duivestein, & Sjöström, 2012).

In conclusion, apps, in the health care sector, fit remarkably well with an irresistible urge from the current display gadgets. A person’s health is the most crucial aspect in a person’s life. The quality of life can be improved, and doctors and hospitals avoided through paying attention well and more often. This is because most apps on peoples screen devices will be automatically monitoring the functions of the patients’ bodies. However, it is also that apps may also result in hypocrisy, in patients; nevertheless, the benefits of the apps are worth the risk. The use of the apps in the health sector is irresistible since health is the first priority among other things in the society. The people involved in the health sectors have been capable of advocating for a good healthcare to the entire society. In spite of the fact that the use of apps in the modern health sector has many benefits, it has some negative impacts. Such impacts are lack of privacy, accessing of person information without his or her permission among others.