Signs That Show You Are Nomophobic

Source:google

Firstly,Lets have a look at how it all began..

There was a time when we used hand held phones so called “cell phones” just to communicate with each other or send SMS .This portable product wasn’t solely captivating for all as one major reason was that it can only be used for a specific purpose at a time.It merely required a network connection due to which most of them had to depend on portable workstations for browsing networking sites and sending emails.It wasn’t accessible to all and was basically owned by the big shorts.

The worldwide user base of the mobile phone industry was just around 122.6 million back in 2007

One of the main reasons people didn’t care much about their cell phone was because it lacked the purpose of interacting with the user.In short this device wasn’t user friendly at all and was literally static.Back in the mid 2000’s the cell phone adaptation rates slowly started to get tedious & parch out as it was not considered as a versatile tool and unlike adults,the young minds wanted something that’s looked cool and met their own set of standards rather than having a fixed shell.

Everything seemed impossible,until this happened:

In early 2007,Many tech enthusiasts wanted something that could not only serve their purpose but also “delight” them.The product that was launched during that time was secretively called the “M68".Does this ring any bells?

how about this,It was designed,developed and marketed by a company that was well known for one of its iconic products which could carry “A Thousand Songs in your pocket”. yes,It was done by Apple and this so called “M68” or “purple 2” was the secret code name used by the team who created the first iPhone.

The evolution of smartphone (source:google)

Then soon came smartphones from other manufactures that promised the same “smartness” as that of the iPhone at much better price tag which made the overall smartphone adaptation reach new heights.This was the birth of a new generation.A generation focused on providing a product that were available,affordable and accessible to all.This was revolutionary but what made the smartphone truly “smart” was its applications that provided quick,snappy and powerful features.

Of course we all know that owning a smartphone makes our life easy and efficient,but there are many situations in which overuse of smartphones could drastically impact our physical as well as mental well being.As time went on,with more and more revolutionary apps people started to look for new ways to entertain themselves and spent a lot of time in playing games,watching movies and browsing.Teenagers considered smartphone as a tool to release stress,depression, loneliness and social anxiety.Soon,they may get deviated more towards their own virtual world in order to attain “warmth of independence” and establishing an “internal attachment” with the device such that they are dependent on it.Basically smartphone addiction isn’t mentioned in psychological disorder books like DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) but several studies reveal that smartphone addiction is indeed a real problem.

Smartphone Addiction overtime (Source:bankmycell)

There are several ways to check whether you’re a smartphone addict by checking whether the following matches your activities on a timely basis:

1. Checking the phone as soon as you wake up.
2. Checking the phone for messages every 10–15 minutes.
3. Using the phone when you’re bored.
4. Using the phone while charging(Not for useful purpose)
5. Frequently checking recently added posts on social media.

Various Studies referred from external sources reveals the following Statistics:

• The average person checks their phone 47 times a day
• 80% of people use their phones before sleeping
• 85% of people have no problem using their phones whilst talking to friends or family
• 47% of people have tried to limit their phone use, but only 30% of those succeeded
• The average person uses their phone for 171 minutes a day (that’s almost three hours), with 76 of those minutes spent using social media apps like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat
• Teenagers who spend five hours a day or more on electronic devices, including phones, are 71% more likely to suffer suicidal thoughts and 51% more likely to get less than seven hours of sleep a night
• 67% of teachers have seen students be distracted by their phones
• 47% of parents think their child is addicted to their phone
• 89% of parents blame themselves for their child’s cell phone usage

There are also several consequences due to smartphone addiction such as Narcissism,Stress,Anxiety,Sleep Deprivation and Loneliness.We humans did fell in love with smartphones and soon it surpassed the global installation base of the entire personal computer industry.

Global Smartphone installation base Source:Gartner(Mentioned above)

Now,In 2020 Smartphones are obviously evolving and exceeding the expectations of tech enthusiasts every time.The tech industry is flourishing and rapidly developing.As human all we can do to control our smartphone addiction is to “Monitor”ourselves and analyse our activities.You can schedule systematic techniques to regulate smartphone usage with the help of screen time applications as well as control by engaging in other social activities or habits.

“Its never too easy to achieve but it is not impossible”-Anonymous

Thanks for reading.