Experts Believe Cell phone Addicction is Getting as Bad as Drugs and Alcohol Addiction.
Call us the never-off society.
We tote our iPhones, LGs and BlackBerrys with us so we can
contact anyone, anywhere, any time--and so we can be reached
instantly. According to a recent Pew Internet & American Life
Project survey, 51% of those polled said it would be very hard to
give up their cellphones, up from 38% in 2002. The cellphone, in
fact, was the most coveted technology in the survey, ahead of
Internet access and television.
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But have mobile devices become too much of a good thing? While
they provide constant access to people and information, they also
make us more anxious and demanding. There's no excuse anymore for
missing a call, e-mail or text message. "If you don't pick up a
girl's phone call and you're dating her--my god, expect to buy
flowers for her," says Shaun Mehtani, a restaurateur in
Morristown, N.J.
And a network glitch can wreck your entire day. "When you're
having a text conversation and the service drops, it's like your
whole world has ended," says Megan Young, a graduate student at
Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
These aren't the frustrations of an isolated few, but of the
mobile majority. Our phones have become such a big part of how
we're able to function that it begs the question: Are we addicted
to our cells?
Experts say constant use of mobile devices hasn't been diagnosed
as an addiction--yet. But some contend that it's fast on its way
to being classified as a disease similar to drug addiction,
alcoholism or gambling.
David Greenfield, a psychologist who is an expert on Internet-
related behaviors, says he predicted a decade ago that people
would become ultra-dependent on mobile devices, even more than
they are on PCs and laptops. Since phones don't weigh much and
fit easily into a pocket or a purse, "the threshold is even
easier to cross, and there's no end to it," Greenfield says.
"You're pretty much hooked in wherever you are, if you want to
be."
Greenfield says constant and continual use of untethered devices
produces chemical responses in the body similar to gambling. When
compulsive gamblers win a hand, they are motivated to keep
playing till they win again--no matter how much they lose in
between.
It's the same with mobile texting and e-mailing, he says. "Every
once in a while you'll get a good [text message or e-mail]
between Viagra ads and Uganda money schemes," Greenfield says.
"That's a hit, and it's a powerful reinforcer."
Others, however, aren't convinced that high-usage of mobile
devices is an addiction or even detrimental to most people's
quality of life, if kept in check. "I believe [dependency]
happens, but the extent to which it plays a harmful role in your
life, that is another matter," says Scott W. Campbell, an
assistant professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who
studies cellphone behaviors. "I don't think it's as harmful as
substances or [that it] needs treatment," he says.
Campbell, however, notes that mobile devices were first seen as a
convenience for accessing people and data without having to be
indoors and only when absolutely necessary. Now, they've morphed
into on-call pagers and mini laptops full of digital content.
"The technology has come to own many of us," he admits.
To avoid feeling stressed, set limits on usage, experts say. John
Horrigan, associate director of Pew's Internet project, says
limits vary greatly by temperament and age. Younger people who
grew up with wireless technologies tend to have a higher
threshold for dealing with all the calls, e-mails and texts
clogging their phones, while older people tend to feel annoyed
and distracted by them.
And if you think you have cellphone overload now, you ain't seen
nothin' yet. Experts say usage will only increase as smart phones
become more sophisticated and powerful, likely replacing laptops
in the future.
The growth in cellphone service subscribers and revenues support
the trend. In just two years, the number of subscribers in the
U.S. increased eight-fold to 225 million, or 84% of the
population, in 2007 from 34 million, or 13%, in 2005, according
to wireless industry association CTIA. Meanwhile, industry
revenues soared to $139 billion from $19 billion. Worldwide, 3
billion people have mobile service.
Despite the inexorable mobile tide, Greenfield says there's
little clinical evidence that the devices improve quality of
life. Mehtani agrees that his iPhone hasn't made him happier--but
it has improved his business, he asserts.
"I wouldn't say it's made my life better. It's made my life
efficient," he says. "When my employees are communicating with
each other, I'm cc'd so I don't have to be briefed."
So are you addicted to your cell phone?
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