Smartphone use is ubiquitous in the U.S.
And often annoying to everyone -- both those on the phone and those around them. People use their phones in the car, while walking on the sidewalk, at restaurants, at the movies, in class, at the supermarket, while watching TV, while using their computer, on planes, in bars, while having sex (it's true, at least according to Jumio and Harris Interactive), when they wake up, before they go to bed...
You get the point.
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Our smartphones have become indispensable for work, for socializing and for relieving boredom. Pew Research Center says more than 56% of Americans own one.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Venture capitalist and former tech analyst Mary Meeker has pointed out that there's (only) about 1 billion smartphone users in the world compared to 5 billion mobile phone users. Her point: smartphone growth is about to explode, so we're at the beginning of this cycle, not the end.
So what can we do? For now, we can all just nod knowingly, create an emoticon or a hashtag (#iamonthephone) and maybe signal our frustration on our Facebook (FB) status.
Or seek professional help.
A recent poll on Psychology Today's "Reading Between the (Head)Lines" blog found that 73% of people would feel panicked if they "misplaced" their phone. Only 6% would feel relieved. Nomophobia -- the fear of being without your smartphone -- is apparently a very real thing.
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Luckily, our friends at Business Insider caught our attention today with a link to "I Forgot My Phone" on YouTube. The short video stars Charlene deGuzman and is directed by Miles Crawford. More than 8 million people have watched the film so far -- apparently nomophobia is catching on...
Watch the video above to see a funny, and sad, look at the state of things in our digital world. Look familiar?
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