Cell Phone Addiction

Posted by Amanda Morgan on June 7th, 2019

The cell phone has become an indispensable attribute of modern people’s life. In addition to its direct functions (communication), the mobile phone can replace a camera, camcorder, game console, and a book. It is difficult to imagine how people got along without it a few decades ago. However, this device is so firmly entrenched in the lives of many individuals that its sudden absence will make people panic. Despite all the advantages that a cell phone brings in life, it can lead to phone addiction, which has a serious impact on daily life.

Nomophobia

The term ‘nomophobia’ arose relatively recently. It comes from English ‘no mobile phobia’ and was introduced to describe the state of anxiety and even panic in a person who lost the opportunity to keep in touch with people through the mobile phone. Psychologists often compare phone addiction with alcoholism: deprivation of phone causes panic or abstinence syndrome. Nomophobia is a disorder of the modern world. Homophobic symptoms can indicate the pre-existence of mental disorders. Mobile dependence is a human condition in which the phone becomes a cult object. A person unconsciously makes a call for the sake of the call, unaware of his or her actions or is unable to explain the cause.

Reasons for Phone Addiction

The dependence on mobile phones can be explained by the fear of being alone. Another factor that contributes to the formation of phone addiction is a desire to be needed. Especially brightly it can be seen in case a man was a public person who received thousands of calls, SMS, and a bunch of invitations to various events. When it is all over, a man faces sudden silence. A person feels that he or she is dropped out of life and is not needed. The desire to be informed of all events is expressed by the incessant checking news in social networks, calls to work in the period of the disease, as well as calls about nothing to friends and acquaintances. It is fashionable to lead an active lifestyle and simultaneously solve several problems. Everyone tends to demand and wants to have a sense of self-worth. In this case, a cell phone is a great assistant.

Cell phone gives an opportunity to move away from traditional ways of communication. Some people have hundreds or even thousands of friends on social networks. It creates an illusion of a wide circle of friends. In fact, this communication is surrogate – formal, not interpersonal, not emotional (despite the use of smiles). There are no barriers that impede a manifestation of the negative traits of a person. It is possible not to feel guilty for ceasing a relationship with the help of an SMS because this would require a certain percentage of courage when people meet face-to-face. Natural shyness that prevents from quickly and clearly responding to a joke or a serious attack of the interlocutor is not an obstacle because replying to an SMS allows considering and taking a pause.

Manifestations and Symptoms of Cell Phone Addiction

There are particular manifestations of phone addiction: craving for new information, depending on the phone appearance, and hallucinations. Thirst for new information consists in the fact that a person stretches to the phone every minute, turning the bag or pocket upside down, in order not to miss something important and timely respond to a letter and message. There is always a desire to buy a newer model, decorate the phone with all kinds of phone accessories, stand out from the crowd, and emphasize the social status. Another manifestation of addiction is auditory hallucinations. Often, people start to think that they hear the sound of a mobile phone, although, in fact, the phone does not ring or even was switched off. Call mania can develop on this ground. Symptoms of nomophobia include panic attacks, dizziness, a lack of oxygen, nausea, sweating, palpitations, tremor, and chest pain. Signs of phone addiction sharply aggravate when a person suddenly finds that he or she cannot find the phone. An addicted person comes to an excited state, becomes irritated and fidgety. For some time, the person ceases to control his or her actions. He or she can throw things nervously, turn everything in the house in search of a means of communication. The feeling of extreme discomfort will not leave a person until he or she finds out where the mobile phone is.

Types of Mobile Dependence

Dependence in Mobile Updating. A person may also need to constantly update the mobile phone for the sake of updating. People who are exposed to this type of dependence are characterized by the feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, self-doubt and other types of poorly formed personality. Due to the continuous updating of the mobile, a phone a person tries to self-assert. The old phone needs constant updating in connection with the release of a functional model. In this case, there is an additional factor: technological dependence. Buying the most feature-rich model of a mobile phone, a person tries to keep up with modern trends and is completely dependent on their direction, not realizing his real needs. Need for Communication. This type of phone addiction is characterized by calls for no reason, too long conversations, and dependence on SMS. People, who are prone to this type of dependence, can call any addressee of the phonebook without a reason. The basis of their disorder is the lack of live communication or the ineffective use of free time.

There are many reasons for calls, the duration of which exceeds half an hour or more. It is possible that people do not see each other for a long time and the phone is the only link between them. However, in case of dependence, the number of such calls unnecessarily increases; the person ceases to control his costs. The number of SMS increases exponentially. This is the most common form of adverse addiction among young people, particularly students. Prestige Dependence. Being dependent on the opinions of others, a person believes that he or she must have the most expensive or super functional device. This mania manifests itself in the constant presence on the phone in sight. The addict does not let it layout for a minute, striving to show it to all others. Techno Dependence. This is one of the most common types of dependence among users under 30. Young people are increasingly becoming hostages of technological progress and are afraid to miss even the slightest innovation because if that happens, they will be restrained from life and their surrounding will laugh at their backwardness.

Consequences of Phone Dependence

Mobile phones affect behavior and the human psyche. Those, who frequently use mobile phones, are anxious and restless. They are characterized by a decreased ability to quickly find contact with people not with the means of a mobile phone. They often call or send SMS just for the sake of the process, in order to satisfy their needs in communication. The personality trait of emotional instability had a direct and positive relationship with cell phone addiction. Mobile phone dependence poses a threat due to the negative influence of regular phone use on human’s health. Regular users of cell phones are susceptible to drowsiness, headaches, and irritability. Under the influence of electromagnetic fields, which are produced by a cell phone, the body's immune system is exposed to stress, which leads to disease. If one uses a mobile phone for an unlimited time, his or her immune system will be at risk. In addition, there is a risk of a head tumor.

There is no necessity to argue that mobile communication has revolutionized humanity. It reduced the distance between people, accelerated decision-making, made it easier to obtain information, and facilitated control of any situation. However, at the same time, it replaced true communication with a surrogate, increased dependence on other people, erected invisible walls even between close people. The wide spreading of mobile communication led to a new threat to modern society – mobile phone addiction. Cell phone addiction poses a serious danger for modern society as it influences the quality of human’s life and health.

Amanda Morgan works as a writer on https://primedissertations.com/words-to-time-calculator/. This company gives an opportunity to find a unique academic work example. Amanda's favorite topics are history and sociology.