Are we addicted to mobiles? Since the introduction of mobile phones, the capabilities and the way we use them has changed dramatically. And as social media, the internet and even our jobs take advantage of the mobile world, the amount of people who use them has increased too.
Mobile phones are now used by about 78 per cent of the entire population now compared with just 17 per cent in 2008, the year after the first iPhone was launched. That’s a huge increase. And actually, when you walk down the street, there’s not many you’ll see without a phone in their hand anymore.
Time Will Tell
We use them everyday, for almost everything, with some even suggesting that we have become addicted. It been estimated that on average, we use our phones for a whopping 24 hours a week. That’s a whole day. But it gets worse when you look at youngsters.
The older generation already believe that young people, particularly millennial’s, spend too much time on their smartphones. And they’d be right. Those aged 16 to 24, tally up a total average of 34.3 hours a week on the internet! But are they really addicted to mobiles?
According to a recent article in the Telegraph, it’s not just the youngsters that are racking up the hours and risking addiction. It is said that 40 per cent of adults look at their phone within five minutes of waking up, rising to 65 per cent of those aged under 35.
Addiction, Dependency, Fear
Most people feel lost when they’re without their phones. Let’s face it, nobody remembers their friends numbers anymore. No one uses notepads to write down memos. No one uses cameras at events anymore. Everything we do in our daily lives is via our mobiles and our dependency on them has even caused nomophobia – the irrational fear of being without your smartphone. Scary.
And with so many different opinions and some even in denial about their usage, we asked our staff for their thoughts on whether people in the UK are addicted to mobiles …
The Addicted Camp
These guys are no strangers to a smartphone. They use them for pretty much everything and know that others do too. Find out why they think we are all addicted to mobiles … even if we think we aren’t.
Martin
“I think we are addicted yes. I mainly use my phone for work and rarely, if ever, use it for social media. In that respect, I’m totally clueless. Generally, it’s for emails. In fact, my nickname from the kids is Daddy email! I definitely spend too long on my mobile phone each day and should probably take a break.”
CALLY
“Yes of course we are addicted to mobiles! They are such a handy way to keep on top of things and mobile working is more popular than ever. I mainly use my phone for emails, browsing social networks and taking great quality photos. I would say on average I use my phone 4 hours a day, or so my mobile tells me.”
Nick
“Yes – as a society, we are so used to having everything at our fingertips for work and social use. People and businesses would not be able to operate without them. I use two phones, one for personal and one for work. I would say I spend 3-4 hours on emails, video calls and generally surfing the web.”
Richard
“YES. As a nation we are 100% addicted to our phones. Take a look anywhere you go these days. People’s heads are deep into their phones on another planet. I mainly use my phone for catching up on emails on the go and browsing the internet, but it’s only probably for about an hour or so a day in total.”
Linsey
“Yes of course we are addicted to mobiles! You may not be yourself, but as a nation, we are definitely addicted to the little things! I mostly spend time on social media as the majority of people do. I would like to say that I only spend about an hour a day on my phone, but I imagine it is probably a lot more!”
Jamie
“Absolutely, I imagine that 90% of people if not more will check their phone within 5 minutes (probably less) of waking up and then continuously throughout the day. If like me your mobile is used for business as well as personal use then it is never far away. I definitely spend WAY too much time on my phone”
Sam R
“Yes. We are definitely addicted. I like computers and phones are small computers. I mainly watch YouTube videos on my phone. When I’m in bed, in the bath, washing up – I almost always have a YouTube video playing in the background. I reckon I spend between 2-3 hours a day on my phone.”
The Phone-Phobics
Meet our traditional members of staff. These guys either love older methods, hate social media or are in-denial about their usage, what do you think?
SAM L
“I don’t feel I am addicted to my phone. When it was broken I didn’t really miss it. I use my mobile for Whatsapp, social media and generally keeping in touch with people. I also use the internet via my phone to check on sporting events But I would imagine I spend at the most, an hour a day on it”
STEVE
“There’s no way I’m addicted to my phone – I have other things to do than have my head stuck in a screen! I only really use it for online banking and emails mainly so I’d say that overall I probably only spend about 1 and half hours a day on my mobile phone, so definitely not addicted!”
KELLY
“No I don’t think I’m addicted to my phone as I much prefer actually speaking with people and being sociable in that way .I mainly use my phone for general chat, messaging and making plans with friends and family. I only use it for about 60-90 minutes a day at most.”
Debbie
“No, I’m not addicted to my phone at all, in fact, I am quite happy to not have a phone. I only really use my phone for texts, emails and occasionally the internet, but I’m definitely a phone-phobic kind of person, only really using it for a about half an hour to an hour a day max.”
Addiction Verdict …
It’s truly incredible how much smartphones today can do. We all have the choice whether to use that power to our detriment or to our advantage. To our detriment, smartphone addiction can affect our physical and mental health, our relationships and our productivity. That’s because, just like drugs or gambling addictions, smartphones provide an escape from reality. To our advantage, we can make lives, work and relationships better.
We literally have the world at our fingertips, it’s just how we use it that’s the difference. Are you addicted to mobiles?
Recent Comments