The Nomophobia World: Virtual is (UN)REAL
Do you think your world is where your phone is? If yes, then welcome to the world of Nomophobia where virtual is the only real world. You love your smartphone and have a special psychological attachment to it. You constantly get back to your phone to check updates on social media, social network sites, social informatics, and social software applications. That boosts your sense of connectivity and shows how important you are in the (un)real world.
So, what is to live the life of a Nomophobe in real? There was a story that was trending on social media websites and became a huge hit. A person decided to live his life on Facebook principles. He walked down the street and told about his daily activities to each passerby. He gave them the pictures of his family, his dog, his garage and whatever he could have shared. Just as we click the “like” button on Facebook, the person gave a “thumbs up” to every conversation he heard. He liked everything and everyone around him. Because Facebook only taught us to like and not unlike. And, he had 4 followers- 2 policemen, a psychiatrist and a private investigator. This is REAL.
Studies suggest that what happens on our devices is not reflective of what happens in real life. Nomophobians get this continuous feeling of self-importance because they frequently check their mobile phones to see the number of likes and comments on their social media profiles. The feeling (read addiction) of missing “something if you’re not constantly checking is an illusion” and our life is not the world of a smartphone (with Internet).
It is not that these facts are unknown to someone having Nomophobia. A smartphone with Internet always keeps them informed. It is just that they don’t want to believe that this 21st century phobia has affected them in a major way; Nomophobians avoid the REALITY!
Source:
https://www.businessinsider.in/smartphone-addiction-now-has-a-clinical-name/articleshow/39375114.cms
https://www.quytech.com/blog/us-addiction-to-smartphones-social-networks-2015/