Are You Addicted to Your 4G Phone?

Addiction is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. People say they are addicted to chocolate or potato chips. Love songs that play on the radio feature singers who are apparently addicted to their significant other’s smile or kiss or even mere presence. Every couple of days, another once-promising celebrity checks into rehab for cocaine or alcohol or anorexia.

When you compare yourself to these varieties of addiction, you might think of yourself as in the clear. But there is one area in which it is a legitimate concern that some people may have about themselves or their loved ones: 4G phones. It has only been a short while since this brand new generation of smart phones has debuted on the market. But because of their speed, reliability, and endless cool features, some men and women have become utterly attached! They spend every free waking moment fiddling with their phones, checking their email, playing games, text messaging, checking in at work or updating their calendar. Not only that, but there are a host of incredibly useful apps that you might find yourself wanting to use every single day. You can instantly look up directions so that if you are lost on your way to a friend’s house or a restaurant, you can find your way without asking for directions. With certain functions you can even specify the fact that you will be walking, biking, taking public transportation, or driving to your destination. You can also download an app to your 4G phone that will instantly tell you the weather so that you do not have to look it up in a newspaper before deciding what to wear. If you are a big movie buff, you can set up your phone so that one click will allow you to access the show times at a local theater.

All of this functionality and all of this constant access to the world of wireless Internet means that some people just cannot put their phones down. How do you know if this is you? Consider some of the following questions: Do friends or family ever get exasperated with your phone use? If you left your 4G phone at home and going back for it would make you close to an hour late for work, would you make the trip or spend the day without your phone? When told to turn off your phone, do you simply turn it to silent because you fear missing a message? If your phone buzzes with a text message across the room while you are spending time with a loved one, do you jump up to go get it? If service is down or you cannot connect, do you feel anxious? When was the last time you went 24 hours without checking your email? How about 48, or 72?

You can evaluate your own answers, but if you found yourself nodding in agreement with the vast majority of the above questions, you may have an excessive attachment to your 4G phone!