No mo' (mobile phone) pho-bia: We have been so well marketed to that most of us now suffer from a new condition -- a phobia over being left phoneless even for a little while.
This was already happening over our Internet link. Now that the Net is being accessed mainly through smartphones and tablet devices, we are trembling in our high boots about the inevitable. They don't make them slim, chic, sleek, and super slippery so we will hold onto them. If they don't fly out of our hands, pockets, and purses, we have to wonder how we'd ever let go.But as soon as they are out of fashion -- no longer chic -- we can't replace them fast enough. They're better than cigarettes for looking cool. And we are actually desperately fearful of feeling alone (disconnected). After all, any kid under 35 has just been rebranded "Generation C" (connected).
Afraid of Losing Your Phone?
Samantha Murphy (Mashable.com)
If you know the panicked and disconnected feeling of leaving your mobile phone at home, you might be one of the many suffering from nomophobia. A recent survey by U.K.-based mobile security service provider SecurEnvoy conducted among 1,000 people found that two thirds (66%) of respondents fear losing or being without their mobile phone... The phobia also includes the anxiety someone feels when not in the range of a cell tower to receive optimal reception.
- Is there are pharmaceutical for it yet? Sure, we can re-purpose any of the SSRIs for off-label prescribing, or try the new generation of toxins.
Not surprisingly, nomophonia is on the rise -- up 13% from just four years ago -- as more consumers become strapped to their smartphones. However, women (70%) worry more about losing their phones than men (61%). More
