"Nomophobia"

This past week I dropped my iPhone, which has happened multiple times in the past, and I thought like every other time before that it would be fine, but this time it unfortunately was not. Not only was there now a huge crack across my screen, but my phone screen would not work. I tried multiple times to unlock my phone but it proved unsuccessful. Once I returned home I thought maybe plugging it in to charge and restarting it would help, but those too both failed at unlocking my phone. Finally after about twenty minutes I was able to get my phone unlocked, but once I was able to access my phone the situation went from bad to worse. My phone went completely whack. It was acting as if it was possessed, from opening apps and texting and calling people without me even placing a finger on the phone. At one point it even started texting in multiple different languages. Since the Verizon store was already closed at this point, and I did not have another phone to use, I had to wait until the next day to be able to fix and use mine.

            I thought that it was no big deal having to wait until the next morning, and that what could be so hard about not having your phone for a night. But as the night went on I started to feel more and more anxious and kept wanting to check my phone. I began to wonder what is going on on Instagram? Has anyone sent me a snapchat? How many texts and missed calls am I going to have? I felt so detached and that I was missing out on some news or events. I could not believe that I was going with withdrawal because I didn’t have my smartphone. I never pictured myself as one of those people who couldn’t go without using their phones, and I finally realized, just like myriad other people in the world today, I am very much so dependent on my smartphone. And that this withdrawal I was going through actually had a term called, nomophobia, which is the fear of being without your phone, and that over 40% of the population is affected by this. 

            The next day, after picking up a new phone and having a sense of relief, I realized I needed to become less dependent on my smartphone. On the way back to my apartment, while walking down the street, I observed those who passed me and almost everyone had their phones out, and even people who were dining outside at the local restaurants were too on their phones at the table not engaging in conversation with the ones they were with.  This all made me realize how much of an impact smartphones have had on society today, and all of the things they are affecting such as the ability to be able to start and hold a conversation, being able to focus, and even sometimes relationships. And it is appalling that there is now even a term for those who cannot be without their mobile devices. After this experience I vowed to myself to start using my phone less, and to engage more with the world and those around me.