Guilty or not? – Cellphone Separation Anxiety

Image courtesy of http://www.featuredpics.com

Okay. I admit it. I mebbe diagnosed with acute cellphone separation anxiety disorder (if there is any). I simply cannot be separated from my smartphone and whenever I do, I panic like a mad dog especially now that social media – an integral part of mobile technology, has grown more powerful than ever. I simply cannot afford to miss out on a critical point in history, could be a remarkable tweet from the Pope (@pontifex) or a controversial IG pic from hollywood A-listers.

The better word is nomophobia – the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. And with the staggering rise of new phone features, where users can virtually do everything with such a small device, the separation woes have been louder. From finding that vintage LV Cabas Alto to skyping with a friend in the Himalayas, outsourcing information has become so available and so attainable. Needless to say, earth revolves around the sun no more but around our precious iPhones and Sammies.

Image courtesy of http://www.cnet.com

Lookout, a mobile security app maker conducted a survey of 2,000 Americans, observing smartphone user’s lifestyle and showing just how obsessed we are with phones.

Results show that nearly 60 percent of respondents do not go an hour without checking their phones. I wonder, if the research was done in the Philippine context, 60 percent may be a conservative figure.

So if you are a person who goes berserk everytime you left your phone at home, or constantly checks what’s trending on Twitterverse, or posts every meal you had on Instagram, you might just be suffering from CSAD too. Am not sure if there is a cure for this but certainly self-discipline would be a game changer.

As for me, I might just do some corporal mortification by leaving my phone at home this Monday. Office is around 20 minutes drive from home, a fairly good disincentive to break my promise. I just hope I don’t get seizure or something half way through the day. Tsk!