How long can YOU survive without your phone?

According to my parents, the first “mobile” phone wasn’t exactly mobile. It came with a huge, heavy battery that was needed at all times to keep it charged. Looking at the phones produced today, you can see we’ve come a long way. However, it is an argument that people are now too dependent on their phones – especially teenagers.

Now introducing the concept of FOMO (fear of missing out). I am included in the large number of people who would feel completely lost without the familiar feel of their phone in their hand. But why? One reason is that we think if we don’t check our phones 24/7 we will miss out on the latest news, or in my case, school gossip. If I forget to charge my phone overnight (and this is a regular occurrence) I have no idea what people are talking about the next day. So many conversations are based around social media that you miss out on if you aren’t constantly checking your phone.

Let’s be honest, phones can get you out of some really awkward situations. For example; flicking through Facebook while waiting at a bus stop makes the time pass so much quicker, and also makes it look like you do have friends. Also, you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t faked a phone call to get away from someone who didn’t deserve your time.

This makes it sound as if it is only teenagers who can’t put down their phone. The common misconception is that very few people over the age of 65 own a smartphone, let alone knows how to use one. What isn’t known by many is that there are quite a few “silver surfers” out there (unfortunately, that is an actual name) and these are those above a certain age who are addicted to social media on smartphones. I don’t mean they like to flick through Facebook a few times a day, I mean it’s more like a few times an hour. To be exact 31% of all seniors actually use Facebook.

The truth is, smartphones and social media have become increasingly like a necessity for so many people that without them, they don’t have a clue what to do with their time. However, they are rarely used for their true purpose – to make calls. Instead the various social networking apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are what they are primarily used for.