Research Paper: First Draft       

The rise of every generation always comes by hand with a new remarkable technology. As time goes on, we become emotionally attached to these new technologies like something we were predestinated to do. In 2007 a new technology arose to change the way society worked and evolve: smartphones. Humans now live in a mobile age in which mobiles are the lastedevolution of technology and have become an indispensable part of our lives. According to data from 2016, “58.7% of the world’s population (4.30 billion) was using mobile phones. Nearly half of this number (2.14 billion) is estimated to have been using smartphones”.[1]According to Pew Research Center’s Mobile Technology Fact Sheet, “as of January 2014, 90% of the American adult population has a cell phone and, 58% of American adults own a smartphone”.[2]In context, Dr. Lee S. from National Yang-Ming University is quoted that “smartphones are particularly popular in young adults. Specifically, high school and college students are the early adopters of smartphones”.[3]  When society first interacted with smartphones, some thoughts and opinions were oriented towards the long-run benefits of them, but others focused on speculations about the fact that this contemporary high tech could cause more harm than good. Eventually, that stance gain importance when a study conducted by the UK postal office brought insight to the issue in question. Data from questionaries’ played a role in the results of this study. The study contained queries ranging from time use, and level of anxiety in a relationship with smartphone use. In the study, researchers reported that 53% of mobile users felt anxious when they were unable to use their mobile phones and over half of the users never shut their phones off. People have become dependent on their mobile phones more than ever, which, in turn, supposedly intensifies the feelings of anxiety caused by being out of mobile phone contact. At the end of the study, a new term was created and with that new disease: nomophobia.

The term nomophobia is an “abbreviation for no-mobile-phone phobia and is commonly known as the fear of not being able to use one’s smartphone, and the services it offers.”[4]Subsequent studies around the world have found that the numbers have increased since then. Although the UK study just explored the levels of anxiety regarding smartphone use, currently Psychologists and Researchers are fighting over the inclusion, recognition, and validation of nomophobia as a real disease. The goal of this position paper is to present an argument for the validation of nomophobia by the American Psychologist Association (APA) and its further inclusion in the DSM-5. Therefore, it is essential to explore the current existing literature of nomophobia, the relevance of this disorder to certain aspects of the human behavior and the psyche, the available empirical research, and lastly a possible treatment. This argument must be taken with care since as for now Nomophobia is a proposed disorder. Psychologists and researchers emphasize that nomophobia is the result of the development of new technologies and virtual communication devices. As for now, the interest in the topic is increasing. Therefore, the validation of nomophobia could contribute to the conversation of the side effects of technologies in society, education, youth, and the brain.

As for now, an important element to strength my position paper will it be to research more at the CCNY databases. This will improve the flow of my paper because as planned it will be essential to have at least three supporting arguments and one counter-argument. Also, having a conversation with the chair of the psychology department would be the most indicated thing to have a clearer stance and understanding of the disease overall.

 

Bibliography

Bragazzi, N. L., & Del Puente, G. (2014). A proposal for including nomophobia in the new DSM-V. Psychology research and behavior management, 7, 155-60.

Kanmani A, Bhavani U, Maragatham R (2017), NOMOPHOBIA – An Insight into its Psychological Aspects in India, International Journal of Indian Psychology, Volume 4, Issue 2, No. 87, Pages 5-15.

Lee, S. Y. (2014). Examining the factors that influence early adopters’ smartphone adoption: The case of college students. Telematics and Informatics, 31(2), Page 308.

Poushter, J. (2016). Smartphone ownership and internet usage continues to climb in emerging economies: But advanced economies still have higher rates of technology use. Pew Research Center: Global Attitudes and Trends. Retrieved from: http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/02/22/smartphone-ownership-and-internet-usage-continues-to-climb-in-emerging-economies/.

Stefan Tams, Renaud Legoux, Pierre-Majorique Léger. (2018). Smartphone withdrawal creates stress: A moderated mediation model of nomophobia, social threat, and phone withdrawal context, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 81, Pages 1-9.

[1]Lee, S. Y. (2014). Examining the factors that influence early adopters’ smartphone adoption: The case of college students. Telematics and Informatics, 31(2), Page 308.

[2]Poushter, J. (2016). Smartphone ownership and internet usage continues to climb in emerging economies: But advanced economies still have higher rates of technology use. Pew Research Center: Global Attitudes and Trends.

[3]Lee, S. Y. (2014). Examining the factors that influence early adopters’ smartphone adoption: The case of college students. Telematics and Informatics, 31(2), Page 308.

[4]Stefan Tams, Renaud Legoux, Pierre-Majorique Léger. (2018). Smartphone withdrawal creates stress: A moderated mediation model of nomophobia, social threat, and phone withdrawal context, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 81, Page 1.