NEW YORK -- Standing in a public place, looking at the crowd of faces, an eerie silence prevails. Spouses, children, parents, friends are not saying a word to each other. Instead, their Smartphones are their source for all their social interaction.
58% of men and 47% of women suffer from “nomophobia”: fear of being without mobile phone contact, according to a study in the UK.
Drugs, alcohol and gambling have had their day in the sun as the premier addictions of our time. Social programs, networks, clinics and rehabilitation centers are a ubiquitous presence. People admit to their addictions in twelve-step programs, learn to limit and overcome their compulsions and educate their youth about the pitfalls of addiction.
And yet, Smartphone addiction is the White Elephant in the Room.
Those who acknowledge that their Smartphone is their best friend will also acknowledge that something about that is definitely not right. Something needs to be done about it.
That's what Yitzchak Goldman, a researcher of social trends, realized as he discovered marked incidences of social dysfunction owing to the strong attachment of users to their Smartphones. He notes that traditional means of communication has been replaced in many instances by cyber-exchanges, which are often anonymous, thereby obviating the need for the development of social skills. In addition, the effort required in building genuine relationships can seem less appealing when compared to the quick and spontaneous interchanges offered by the Smartphone.
In Turn Off Your Phone, Turn On Your Life, Goldman outlines over 40 tips and strategies to help users minimize Smartphone use and regain control of their lives. The 40 strategies are tiered according to the level of the user’s Smartphone dependence, enabling rehabilitation at a level more conducive to the user’s particular predicament.
The book also provides advice for the "second-hand" Smartphone user: the person who has to deal with someone else’s Smartphone overuse.
The book is available on Amazon – in print and on Kindle: (some users can only be reached by ebook!)
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Yitzchak Goldman
