Cell Phone Addiction in Today’s Society
Abstract
Today’s society is all about the latest technology, and cell phones are included. People tend to seek interpersonal interactions via a cell phone instead of face to face interactions. This high volume of cell phone usage is attributed to cell phone addiction. The questions that are answered in this literary review are the following: What is cell phone addiction? What are the health risks that appear in association with constant exposure to a cell phone? Are there changes in the social behaviors of people experiencing cell phone addiction? What are some ethical problems that concern prospective cell phone customers? Cell phone addiction is seen in a person who cannot put down the phone and who forgets about their surroundings. Because of constant exposure, health risks such as death from talking/texting while driving and cancer are some of the health risks associated with cell phone addiction. Changes in a person’s social behavior who is addicted to their cell phone can be seen in changes of sleep cycles, making cell phone usage the primary way of interaction, and in problems concerning discipline. Because of all these problems concerning cell phone addiction, there are still people who are having second thoughts when it comes to buying a cell phone for the first time.
Cell Phone Addiction in Today’s Society
In today’s society, it is not unusual to see a person with a cell phone in their hands. It has come to a point where it seems somewhat strange when someone does not own a cell phone. Technology has become a very important part of people’s lives, some of it being useful and some used for the sole purpose of entertainment. Even though people are led to believe that technology, such a cell phone, is an instrument to take advantage of, one does not always pay attention to the repercussions it might have. Cell phone addiction is a prevalent thing in today’s world, since almost anyone has the means of owning one. Questions that will be answered in this literary review are;
· What is cell phone addiction?
· What are the health risks that appear in association with constant exposure to a cell phone?
· Are there changes in the social behaviors of people experiencing cell phone addiction?
· What are some ethical problems that concern prospective cell phone customers?
What is cell phone addiction?
In a survey conducted by the author of this literary review on October 17, 2011, interesting numbers where collected when people were asked questions about their cell phone usage. Of all the people who took their time to answer the survey, 100% (Martinez, 2011) of them owned a cell phone. When asked the direct question about them considering themselves addicted to their cell phone, 73% (Martinez, 2011) of the people answered yes, they thought they were addicted to their cell phone. Cell phone addiction, when defined by Mariano Chóliz in his Letter to the Editor in the journal, Addiction, states that cell phone addiction is, “…uncontrolled, inappropriate or excessive use of the mobile phone…” (Chóliz, 2010). This would mean that in order for a person to be addicted to a cell phone, this person would constantly be talking or texting someone on the device, and even use the device when in the wrong place at the wrong time, without thinking about consequences. In this quote, Chóliz explains the symptoms of cell phone addiction, and some of the social and behavioral effects it has on a person.
Some of the most characteristic symptoms of dependence were the following: (a) excessive use, manifested in both a high economic cost and in numerous calls and messages; (b) problems with parents associated with excessive use; (c) interference with other school or personal activities; (d) a gradual increase in mobile phone use to obtain the same level of satisfaction, as well as the need to substitute operative devices with the new models that appear on the market; and (e) the need to use the mobile phone frequently, as well as emotional alterations when phone use is impeded. (Chóliz, 2010)
Raymond Gozzi, Jr., editor of ETC: A Review of General Semantics wrote an article for this scholarly journal titled, The Cell Phone Zone. In his work, he describes how a person’s attention gets pulled into the screen of a mobile phone by something he calls the “Cell Phone Force”. Gozzi describes the “Cell Phone Force” attracting the attention of its user by means of magnetism, because to him it seems like the person is drawn to the screen without being able to pull back on their own, just like a magnet.
The user is captured by the screen. The person is pulled into the Cell Phone Zone by some force that comes out from the screen. The Cell Phone Force magnetically grabs your attention, and pulls it onto the screen, away from your physical surroundings. (Gozzi, 2008)
Gozzi explains that it can be dangerous for people to focus on cell phones and pay less attention to their surroundings, as this can lead to risks to their health, and can even sometimes lead to death.
What are the health risks of utilizing a cell phone constantly?
Several health risks have risen since the years that cell phones became a popular item in today’s society. It can all be traced back to people being more and more dependent to their mobile devices. Gozzi explains how people become so engaged in their mobile devices that they become unaware of their surroundings. This has become a problem even when people talk/text and drive, “It has led to concerns about driver safety, with several states passing laws requiring drivers to wear a headset while talking on the cell phone” (Gozzi, 2008). Every year, people die because either they were talking or texting while driving. It can be seen that this has affected society in a tremendous way because of the new laws that have been put in place in many parts of the United States. But this is not the only risk that has been raised that concerns people who use cell phones for long periods of time.
According to the National Cancer Institute’s website, there is concern that long exposure to cell phones, which emit radiofrequency energy, may cause some types of cancer or other health problems. The website explains that the radio frequency that is emitted by a cell phone is a form of “non-ionizing radiation” (2011) that can be absorbed by the head tissue that is most nearest to it. The website also goes to explain that the number of cell phone users has increased in a rapid rate, “As of 2010, there were more than 303 million subscribers to cell phone service in the United States, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. This is a nearly threefold increase from the 110 million users in 2000. Globally, the number of cell phone subscriptions are estimated by the International Telecommunications Union to be 5 billion” (National Cancer Institute, 2011). But researchers suggest that there is still no concrete evidence that heavy cell phone use can be the cause of cancer.
Although there have been some concerns that radiofrequency energy from cell phones held closely to the head may affect the brain and other tissues, to date there is no evidence from studies of cells, animals, or humans that radiofrequency energy can cause cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2011).
A difference in how people interact with others when they are addicted to their mobile devices is another point that can be discussed when it comes to cell phone addiction. These differences usually involve changes in social behaviors.
How do social behaviors change when a person is constantly exposed to a cell phone?
As talked about earlier by Gozzi, when a person texts or talks on a cell phone, usually the main focus for them are their conversation and their surroundings are forgotten. In an article written by Borae Jin and Namkee Park, they suggest that using a cell phone satisfies a human being’s “innate desire to relate to other people” (2010). They also explain the motives to which cell phone users usually fall under: “…motives for using cell phones also have social and instrumental dimensions and, further, they identified additional motives such as mobility, immediacy, and fashion and status” (Jin and Park, 2010). This means that people use cell phones more often than land lines because it is easier to reach into their pockets or purses, dial a number, and start talking to the person of interest. As for the fashion and status point, there are many people who, as soon as a new model of a device comes out in the market, they immediately think they must have it so their peers can see that they can afford the latest model. In the survey conducted by the author of this literary review, people were asked the question, “Do you own a basic cell phone to talk or text, or do you own a smartphone with all the latest applications and features?” 82% (Martinez, 2011) of the people who answered the survey stated that they own a smartphone, which means that they have a cell phone that not only can be used to talk and text, but also to surf the internet, play games, and listen to music. This information correlates with Jin and Park’s point about fashion and status being one driving factor to utilizing a cell phone.
Jin and Park also go on to explain that people who use cell phones as their primary tool for communication tend to “…strengthen established social relationships rather than extend them” (Jin and Park, 2010). They explain that people who frequently use cell phones to communicate with someone, that someone is usually a person who they have a constant face to face interaction with: “A greater amount of face-to-face interaction predicts a greater amount of cell-phone use, including (a) calling and (b) texting” (Jin and Park, 2010). Consequently, Jin and Park also deducted that people with social anxiety or shyness tend to utilize a cell phone less frequently since their face to face interaction with people who they have a relationship is also diminished, “These findings indicate that people who do not feel comfortable with face to face social interaction are less likely to use cell phones and also less likely to seek to satisfy their interpersonal needs by using cell phones” (Jin and Park, 2010).
The way people interact with others who seem to be addicted to their cell phone is another social behavior that is affected. In a CNN video found at their website, reporter Deborah Feyerick speaks with the parents of three teenagers who constantly text on their cell phones, “I had to actually get text messaging in order to communicate with my kids” (Feyerick, 2010). In this quote, the mother is saying that the only way she was able to communicate with her daughter was acquiring a text messaging plan and learning how to use it, since her daughter would not answer her phone calls, and text messaging was the only way to get a hold of her. It has come to a point where person to person interactions seems as a secondary way to communicate with others. A driving factor about parents wanting to learn how to text to communicate with their teenagers is them wanting to be sure that they are safe when out of the house and socializing with their friends. Parents using cell phones frequently to check up on their teenagers can have a negative effect on their relationship, as it is explained by Robert S. Weisskirch, “…frequent communication via cell phone may be perceived by the adolescent as intrusive and bothersome, just like face-to-face communication, and yield less disclosure of information to parents.5 When worried or anxious, a parent may call the adolescent to alleviate these uncomfortable feelings. The pattern of relating via cell phone is likely to affect the relationship between parent and child” (Weisskirch, 2011).
In the same video, Feyerick interviews Dr. Michael Seyffert who explains that using a cell phone constantly can be compared to being addicted to a drug saying, “Neuro-imaging studies have shown that those kids who are texting have that area of the brain light up the same as an addict using heroin” (Feyerick, 2010). This can also be attributed to how a person’s mood changes when they get an immediate or long- lasting response. Sarah Matzkin, a sophomore in high school who is interviewed by Feyerick said, “If someone responds right away, you're like 'Yay! They responded.' If someone responds two to three hours later you're like, 'What's going on?” (Feyerick, 2010). Note that Matzkin nowhere said that she would call the person who took a long time to text her back. This can be again attributed to the fact that text messaging has become the primary interpersonal communication with people who use their cell phones frequently.
Another social behavior that is affected when using a cell phone frequently is people, especially adolescents, not getting enough sleep and being sleep deprived because of frequent interruptions at night to check their cell phone. Dr. Seyffert told Feyerick that teenagers are most likely to interrupt their sleeping cycle to check their phone frequently during the night. According to Dr. Seyffert, sleep deprivation adds to the risky behaviors of teenagers, as it is similar to “giving a kid a bottle or two or alcohol, depending on how sleep deprived they are” (Feyerick, 2010). How does sleep deprivation affect young teenagers in their daily lives? Without obtaining enough sleep, a teenager might be prone to lose focus in school and their grades would be significantly affected. They might even get into trouble because of texting in class. The three teenagers interviewed by Feyerick said that in the past day they had gotten their cell phones taken away during class because of texting and Tracey Bailey, of the Association of American Educators said: “…cell phones are, if not the single greatest problem in terms of discipline, they're at least in the top three problems” (Feyerick, 2010). All of these changes in social behaviors can sometimes cause a person who has never owned a cell phone think twice about ever buying one.
What ethical problems might a person who has never owned a cell phone experience when buying a device that might turn addictive if used constantly?
It has been discussed that cell phones being considered an addiction is a valid opinion because of the side effects that comes with constant use. But there are still people out there who have refrained from buying a cell phone because of the consequences. Barbara Brown Taylor, writing for the Christian Century, wrote an editorial where she describes why for so long she was opposed to the thought of her one day owning a cell phone.
“I DID NOT OWN one for ages. The first reason was personal: driving the car was a kind of Sabbath for me, with nothing to do but listen to music and watch the scenery. Why muck that up with a ringing telephone? The second reason was ecological; if I detested the microwave towers that were springing up all over the countryside, then why participate in their proliferation? The third reason was numerical: I could barely juggle seven numbers, much less ten, but every new cell phone in the world nudged me nearer the necessity of dialing ten digit telephone numbers with weird new area codes” (Taylor, 2008).
She goes on to saying that when she did give in and bought cell phone, she did it because sometimes when she wanted to call relatives to inform them about her whereabouts, she could sometimes not find a pay phone. Taylor also explains that she now can say that she is addicted to her cell phone and acknowledges her defeat. When someone owns a cell phone, they are just a phone call away from anybody trying to reach them, which means that freedom, in a way, is lost.
“Now I am as addicted to my cell phone as anyone else. All that sets me apart, as far as I can tell, is my keen sense of defeat. I have lost a huge chunk of freedom, and I know it—not only the freedom to sit quietly with my own thoughts, ready to respond to what happens right in front of me, but also the freedom to imagine that such single-mindedness is good use of my time” (Taylor, 2008).
In today’s society, it might seem impossible for a person not own one.
Many different problems arise when having a cell phone addiction. Even though there is still no scientific evidence that cell phones cause serious health problems, such as cancer, problems in changing social behaviors can be seen, and can sometimes affect the person in a serious way. Even though some of the evidence shown in this research paper was attributed mostly to teenagers, one cannot forget that any person of any age who utilizes a cell phone for a large amount of time can acquire a cell phone addiction. Cell phones are a type of technology that is very prevalent in today’s society, and as cell phones acquire more and more applications, it can be inferred that cell phone addiction will not be a thing of the past any time soon.
References
Chóliz, Mariano (2010). Mobile Phone Addiction: A Point of Issue. Addiction, Vol. 105 (Issue 2), p.373-374.
Feyerick, Deborah (2010, April 20) Can texting become an addiction? CNN, retrieved from http://am.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/20/can-teen-texting-become-an-addiction/
Gozzi, Raymond Jr. (2008). The Cell Phone Zone. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, Vol. 65 (Issue 4) p.382-383.
Jin, Borae, & Park, Namkee (2010). In-Person Contact Begets Calling and Texting: Interpersonal Motives for Cell Phone Use, Face-to-Face Interaction, and Loneliness. CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, Vol. 13 (Issue 6) p.611-618.
National Cancer Institute (2011) Cell phones and cancer risks, retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cellphones
Taylor, Barbara Brown (2008). Cell phone sacrament. Christian Century, Vol. 125 (Issue 24), p.35.
Weisskirch, Robert S. (2011). No Crossed Wires: Cell Phone Communication in Parent-Adolescent Relationships. CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, Vol. 14 (Issue 7) p.447-451.
