Nomophobia: Majority of People are Addicted to Smartphones

By Jun Woo Kim

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NOMOPHOBIA

“NO- MOBILE -

PHONE PHOBIA”

Fear and Anxiety of being out

of mobile phone

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Today 9 of 10 in North

America people own a

mobile phone (1).

“The rise of mobile ischanging the story.Groups traditionally on theother side of the digitaldivide in basic internetaccess are using wirelessconnections to go online.” - Pew (1)

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Today 65% time spent online is via mobile devices (1)

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“We’re seeing people check their phones for Facebook 20 times a day” - Jordan Banks, head of Facebook Canada (2)

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“Smartphones are designed to get us to check them repeatedly— new emails, text messages, Facebook updates beckon throughout the day, urging us to constantly pull the device out of our pocket.”— Liraz Margalit (3)

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A recent study cited that 94% of college students reported feeling troubled when not carrying their phones with them. 80% of them said they felt jealous when someone else held their phones, and 70% said they expected to have feelings of depression, panic and helplessness if their phones were lost or stolen. (4)

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“What makes

nomophobia such a

compelling concept is

that it sometimes seems

as though most of us

suffer from it. America is

so hardwired to mobile

devices that navigating

society without one can

be a serious challenge.

When was the last time

you picked up a physical

map?” (5)

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"Every time you get a notification from your phone, there's a little elevation in dopamine that says you might have something that's compelling, whether that's a text message from someone you like, an email, or anything, The thing is you don't know what it's going to be or when you're going to get it, and that's what compels the brain to keep checking. It's like the world's smallest slot machine." – Dr. David Greenfield (6)

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According to the survey, the younger you are, the more prone you are to nomophobia. The youngest age group (18 -24) tops the nomophobic list at 77%, which is 11% more than that of the next group -- those aged 25-34. (7)

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According to the statistics, 65%, or about two in three people, sleep with or next to their smart phones. (8)

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Causes of Nomophobia

1) The fear of being without a mobile phone stems from addiction. When a person feels physically or mentally dependent on anything, he or she cannot find a way of stopping that addiction. (9)

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2) People tend to experience this phobia when they are insecure, or have lack of self control and discipline, get easily bored or impatient, or have no other recreational hobbies and outlets etc. (9)

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3) Humans are social animals needing constant companionship and having the desire to talk and connect with others. Therefore, this phobia is not all that unnatural given the fact that cell phones are readily available everywhere and used by people of all ages today. (9)

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Symptoms

1) Most phobics will go to great lengths to protect their phone. They will also keep checking the device every now and then for battery life and messages. (9)

2) They will never unplug and disconnect. They will ensure charging the battery so as to never be left without a phone. (9)

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3) Their usage of phone often affects their relationships or even gets in the way of their work at school or office. Many nomophobesare known to be loners or experience problems dating or maintaining relationships. (9)

4) They are unable to ever turn off their phone off. (10)

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Treatment Methods

1) Invest several hours in human contact and have face-to-face conversations. (8)

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2) Place your phone at least 15 feet away from you when you sleep at night. (8)

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3) Develop and practice self help coping techniques and physical activities like yoga, swimming, and dancing, etc. (9)

References

(1) Queen’s University FILM260 Module1 Lecture Slides.

(2) Queen’s University FILM260 Module2 Lecture Slides.

(3) Queen’s University FILM260 Module3 Lecture Slides.

(4) Liraz Margalit (November 4th 2015). Smashing Magazine. Why We’re addicted to our Smartphones, But not our Tablets. Retrieved from https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/11/why-addicted-smartphones-not-tablets/

(5) Brian Fung (May 19th 2015). The Washington Post. Why you shouldn’t confuse nomophobia with an actual addiction to smartphones. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/05/19/why-you-shouldnt-confuse-nomophobia-with-an-actual-addiction-to-smartphones/

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(6) Madeline Stone (July 31st 2014). Business Insider. Smartphone Addiction Now has a Clinical Name. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-nomophobia-2014-7

(7) Vicky Kung (March 7th 2012). CNN. Rise of 'nomophobia': More people fear loss of mobile contact. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/06/tech/mobile/nomophobia-mobile-addiction/

(8) Tim Elmore (September 18th 2014). Psychology Today. Nomophobia: A Rising Trend in Students. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/artificial-maturity/201409/nomophobia-rising-trend-in-students

(9) Jacob Olesen (2016). Fear Of Net. Fear of Being Without a Mobile Phone Phobia – Nomophobia. Retrieved from http://www.fearof.net/fear-of-being-without-a-mobile-phone-phobia-nomophobia/

(10) Edie Wrenn (May 8th 2012). Mail Online. The Biggest Phobia in the World. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2141169/The-biggest-phobia-world-Nomophobia--fear-mobile--affects-66-cent-us.html