Written Assignment 4

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Question One:

            “Nomophobia” can be termed as the present day fear of not being able to communicate through a mobile phone or the internet. In reality, the term “nomophobia" was coined by British researchers in 2008, and it is derived from the expression "Non Mobile Phobia", as such, it can be described as the phobia of not having a mobile phone. For that reason, nomophobia is a term that can be used to refer to a collection of symptoms or behaviors that are related to the use of mobile phones.

Effects of Nomophobia

            According to Kung (2012), nomophobia brings about the feeling of distress of anxiety that is experienced by some people when not in possession of their phones. Additionally, nomophobia increases the degree to which individuals depend on their phones to complete simple tasks as well as fulfilling needs such as staying connected to others, safety and learning. In simple terms, mobile phones have increasingly become a tool that individuals use daily so that to organize and navigate their daily lives. Further, mobile phones provide platforms that help people keep track of the calendar, get directions, and be able to communicate almost instantly; thus this underlines the growing dependence on mobile phones.

            For that reason, the dependence on mobile phones has led significant psychological consequences. For instance, studies carried out on the transactive memory reveal that the fact that individuals are assured of a reliable external source of information then this results in the reduction of the motivation and ability to retain knowledge regarding certain topics. For example, if a man is married to a football expert then chances are he will be poor at remembering football facts since he knows he can always remember his wife. Thus, these situations have affected the dependence on primary sources of information that individuals depended on so that to be able to outsource crucial information due to the constant assurance of a source likened to omniscience in their pockets. And so, Elmore (2014) explains that with time research has revealed that the brain treats mobile phones like relationship partners when it comes to retention and acquisition of information. 

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