The Case Of Exploding Smartphones and Our Social Media

Over the past few weeks, Samsung's new flagship can't seem to escape the spotlight. Just when it seems things are about to cool down, a phone explodes in the middle of nowhere. And thanks to Social Media, an average user learns about it even before the company can bat an eye. Leave alone a public statement.

The Note 7 brought along an array of new features; Iris scanner, a bigger display and choosing the odd number 7 for the naming of their new flagship. It was also hugely anticipated given the overwhelming success of the Note 5 aka, the most popular Android phone of H1 2016. So these factors along with a few others contributed to healthy sales for Samsung during the initial retail of the phone worldwide.

For those who are not aware about the actual issue of the phone, the Note 7 has a battery cell issue which technically exists on all of it's sold units because of a malfunction which overheats the electrolyte to the point of explosion.

The working of a normal working Li-ion battery can easily be explained by Electrochemistry. There is an Anode, Cathode and a liquid electrolyte. Lithium has a more tendency to get oxidized, its reduction potential value with reference to the Standard Hydrogen Electrode being: -3.05V.

This issue in essence exists only 0.01% of all the sold units according to a Samsung Rep but the figure is a 1000 units being affected when you calculate it from the million smartphones already sold. Plus when you take into the possible damage the overheating could cause to one's home or the place where the phone maybe placed, then you get a better picture of why Samsung is recalling all the phones.

That was pretty much a little info regarding why your Note 7 is exploding and why it is highly recommended to get it replaced straight away. So let us move on to the Social Media aspect:

• Week One: The Note 7 Launches - No surprising regarding specifications, extremely powerful phone.
• Week Two: Sales going strong, expectations outclass predecessor in retails, initial critic response and user hands-on reviews easily make it the best Android phone
• Weak XYZ: All of the sudden my Facebook and Twitter feed is overflowing with reports of the Note 7 blowing, Samsung refuses to bat an eye.
• And then the Note 7 recall is announced!

I just can't help wondering how much part our beloved Social Media played in sponsoring the recall and I support it. You can't neglect the basic of all features for the sake of innovation. And I hope the person who lost his Jeep to this phone had insurance along with the one whose house was on fire.

Without our Social Media, Samsung or any other manufacturer wouldn't probably have given a serious notice to this problem. Consider this, around half of my social media feeds are crowded by posts regarding the Note 7 recall, Samsung making announcements here and there plus you have gradual incoming reports of more Note 7 phones exploding. The credibility of Samsung took a serious hit due to this debacle but they raised some respect in the eyes of customers when they announced this recall, to their own expense. This is at least a $1 Billion loss for Samsung Electronics.

While Samsung is already making efforts for a global recall, smartphone vendors in my country are refusing to replace the phone citing it as propaganda to promote iPhone 7 sales. In a sense correct but endangering the lives of the customers. These are the people who turn a blind eye to the truth on Social Media, mainly because it happens to be a loss to them in one way or another.

Furthermore their lack of information, blaming that they Octa-Core(Exynos) have problems but the Snapdragon processors are doing fine. The problem is not even remotely related with the processor yet they came up with some wonderful rocket science.

So with this rant, I wrap up this article and I await what is your take on all this and how your Social Media feed is doing in midst of all this?