Nomophobia
Today at ICCMSN Stephanie Broege introduced us to the term Nomophobia. It’s the fear of having no mobile phone. It’s my new favourite word.
She also told a story about a professor (whose name I can’t recall) who asked 100 of his students to turn off their cellphones for 48 hours. Quite a challenge for todays youth as the resullts show.
12 students flat out refused to take part. After 24 hours, half of the students had dropped out. After 48 hours only 12 students still had their cellphones turned off. 6 of those 12 admitted to using IM and email where they would have used their cellphones. Only 6 students managed to survive the 48 hours without using their cellphones or substitutes. That’s 6%.
These results are fascinating, a true reflection of how reliant we’ve become on cellphones and the instant gratification they provide. There are now approximately 3 billion cellphones worldwide. You can contact half the world instantly for a couple of dollars. 4.5 million cellphone users in New Zealand, that’s more cellphones than people. I myself have three, two of which I use daily. I don’t know how my grandmother survived.
Also, on a related note, if you’re concerned about getting cancer from your cellphone visit this site. It lists the radiation emmisions from practically every model of cellphone. It may scare you or it may reassure you. My two phones combined have lower emissions than a blackberry, so I’m reassured.
