Grace Kosner

My friends and I have developed a new game to help us decide who pays the tip when we go out to eat.  When the check comes, we set our phones face down on the table and whoever picks their phone up first loses.

The withdrawal symptoms of not being able to access our phones are almost as difficult as not being able to blink.

Occasionally, we can obstain from phone use for over two minutes. But then the anxiety builds, causing our feet to stomp. Some of us reach for our phones out of habit and then try to catch ourselves, pushing our hand away.

The example of my friends and I playing a humorous game at a diner makes light of a broader issue. According to Dr. Keith Ablow of Fox News, our cellphone anxiety is an example of “nomophobia,” fear of losing access to cellphones.

My generation is the first to be digitally connected 24/7. The rise in mobile technology since the 1980’s led to an exponential growth in social media usage, especially through cellphones.

This growth is happening so fast that people have not been given the opportunity to adjust and monitor their use of technology.

People are unaware of the potential dangers of unlimited access to the Internet and to their friends via social media sites. This need for constant updates is similar to being addicted to a drug.

The difference between technology addiction and drug addiction is that drug addiction is regulated through laws and education which inform people of its dangers, while technology addiction is a recent phenomenon, the negative effects of which we are just beginning to understand.

The Chicago Tribune posed the survey question, “Would you rather give up your toothbrush or your cellphone for an entire week?” and reported that 40 percent of iPhone users said they would rather give up their toothbrush. While this is an amusing result, it is astonishing that people would risk their personal hygiene for a metal box with electricity.

An article about cellphone addiction on CBS quotes Baylor University Marketing Professor James Roberts: “We’re becoming increasingly dependent upon our cell phones and of course the cornerstone of addiction is dependency.”

Unfortunately, the more technology advances, the stronger this dependency will become. I am not recommending that you change your Christmas/Hannukah list by crossing off the wifi-enabled Kindle and request a paperback book instead.

I am, however, recommending that you reconsider the amount of time that you use technology. Since technology will continue to expand, it is each individual’s responsibility to use technology in moderation so that our dependency does not become irreversible.