Mobile Phone Dependency - When You Can't Stay Away From Your Cell Phone

It would be nice to say that it is the growth of the popularity of mobile phones that has lead to reports of people's dependency on them; however from their very earliest introduction they have held the power akin to that of an addiction over their owners.

Initially mobile phones were bulky and expensive items that were available to the rich and more often businesses, where the ability for staff to always be contactable held great advantages. Almost as soon as people had the power to be always available, the issue of what to do when you were not in possession of your mobile became a problem.

As technology has advanced and handsets and calling plans became cheaper and more accessible to mass markets, then the problem of dependency has grown and now ranges from teenagers through to adults.

So what is Mobile Phone Dependency? Dependency can be defined as a need so strong that it becomes necessary to have something to function properly. Mobile phone dependency can be manifested in many ways and tend to vary with age and demographic split. It has however been reported across different countries and seems to occur wherever mobile phones are prevalent, a sign of the attachment society now has for this technology.

Two good examples of mobile phone dependency help explain the problem further. The first is the issue of addiction to texting, something that whilst most common in younger users (children and teens), also extends to adult users. The ability to send text messages for a fixed, and relatively cheap cost, gives users an instant messaging option without the need to get into extended conversations. The addictive nature comes from the perceived need to constantly reply to a received message which in turn promotes further messages, in a vicious circle.

Secondly is the curse of email, where email enabled phones such as those from makers Blackberry, can dominate a user's life. This generally applies to business users who get into the habit of constantly checking new email and feeling that they must reply to every email, immediately. This can have the effect of taking over their lives to the extent that the user is never able to switch off from work, even taking the phone on holiday with them, to check email on the beach.

With the growth of social networking, mobile phone manufacturers are looking for ways of incorporating these sites directly into their phones, effectively integrating the phone into the social networking culture. This is great for manufacturers as it feeds of a dependency for the social network sites and boosts demand for their mobiles. It is good for mobile operators as it helps keep data and call usage high. Whilst both would also argue that it is good for consumers because it offers them features they want in a mobile phone, the danger to users of adding another way to become more dependent on their mobile is a real risk.

Simon Murray has been writing about technology and mobile phones since mobiles started being used for more than just communicating. He runs a popular camera phone review website which also has a section on the best camera phones available.