NOMOPHOBIA – An Insight into Its Psychological Aspects in India

Abstract

Smartphones are not just becoming a part of our daily lives – but a part of each and every one of us. The presence of this handy device that holds the world just a touch away has been greatly significant and unavoidable in our standard of living. It is surprising to note that an average person checks their phone 110 times per day, even without their knowledge or any reason. It is not just perceived as a gadget, but as a digital umbilical cord connecting us to a fulfilled life. While the presence of smartphones has its mark, its absence has notable impacts too. Nomophobia (NO-Mobile phone-PHOBIA) -The fear/anxiety of being away from mobile phone contact- is an alarmingly raising specific phobia in the recent times. A study on Britain mobile phone users found that nearly 53% of them tend to be anxious when they ‘lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or balance, or have no network coverage’.72% of people state that there is a very little chance they will ever move 5 feet away from their phone. Interestingly, most such people use it even during shower. According to an article in the UK daily ‘The Telegraph’(21 Oct 2015), Global Smartphone sales was predicted to grow by 18%, where the growth will be driven by developing markets, led by India, China and Indonesia. Considering this tremendous increase in the Smartphone market in India, it is but threatening to think about the dependency that Indians are facing with their mobile device. This study gives an insight into the levels of Nomophobia that prevails in India and its psychological aspects in four major dimensions using the NMP-Questionnaire. A sample of 1500 Smartphone users from various states of India collected through snowball sampling were assessed on their usage purpose and pattern. Evaluating correlates such as age, gender and occupation showed that females have higher levels of Nomophobia than males and students (18-24 years) fall under higher severity of Nomophobia than working class.