Now this term was surprising to learn about while out in Spain. I was watching the news during dinner the other day when they began a report about a new phobia that is spreading around Spain. Apparently this is something that is widespread in Spain, where people (especially the younger generations) are becoming hooked to their mobile phones. As Nomophobia is diagnosed by my internet sources, people who suffer from it may experience a large amount of anxiety when they lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage. The report stated that many people use connection with family or work as a reason why they develop the Nomophobia, but some scientist state that this might be a normal anxiety and not an anxiety created out of the fear of not being connected to the rest of the world.
I found it very interesting to see this in Spain because it is a phenomenon that people in the States experience as well. It is impossible to find somebody who doesn't have a phone and at the same time, impossible to find a person that doesn't have to be on their phone at least every hour of the day to stay updated with what's going on. I'm not sure how advanced the smart phones are here or if they are a prevalent type of phone, but in the United States almost everyone's phone is capable of: accessing the internet, having unlimited text messages, syncing email accounts to be received on the phone, has a well developed calendar that comes with alarms and is capable of syncing all their social media accounts to the phone so that it could be used just as easily as if it was from a computer. It comes to a point where a person's entire life becomes centered around this device because they've grown to be able to contain almost as much information as a computer. Many people have coined nicknames for phones like "crackberries," which are meant to play on the fact that people become so involved with their phones that it almost acts like a drug and causes withdrawal when a person hasn't been around their phone for too long.
Now I don't want to think that people are specifically obsessing over the phone, but I think the fear is centered more around the lack of connectivity. After being able to have access readily available to you at all times, to have it ripped away from you in an instant is a means for causing anxiety. Also, you have to factor in that many of these smart phones could cost a lot of money, so there is not only a lost of connectivity but also a feeling of the loss of worth/value. Many of these things can factor into why people fear not having their phone. I think it goes deeper than just the phone. I myself can admit that I have a slight addiction to my phone, but it is more because it is my main method of contact with people, whether it be business or personal, and if I were to lose it there is the possibility that I can miss out on something important.
I have to admit, I find it hilarious that even though both countries are in completely different settings and obviously have completely different cultures, they still manage to be plagued by this "fear." I feel like this is an understandable occurrence given that the world in general is becoming more mobile and internet friendly. Although I believe the United States has become more assimilated with the internet in where it is a factor of our lives, Spain still has some ways to go before nomophobia becomes as big as it is in the States. I guess there's just some things that not even culture and distance can change! I couldn't find the Telecinco coverage, but I found some coverage in the U.S done by CBS in 2008 that could shed light to this fear:
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