Phone addiction weakens relationships

RAJAI WALTON

Staff Writer

Izzy Schimp, an environmental earth science major, spends an average of five hours and 10 minutes a day on her cell phone. 

“The amount of time that I spend on my phone isn’t a problem, but the way that I communicate through a phone can sometimes be used as an advantage,” said Schimp. “I’m an introverted person, so verbal communication isn’t the easiest thing for me, but responding through messages is more relaxing and allows me to always get my full thought process out.”

Technology has changed our lives for the better in some ways, but although we can communicate faster and have instantaneous access to information, there are certainly drawbacks. 

Research from the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute shows that smartphones are powerful mind- and mood-altering devices that can be as addictive as drugs and alcohol. The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as engaging in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences. 

According to the information technology company Asurion, “Americans check their phones 96 times a day,” which averages out to be about once every 10 minutes, and 46 percent of American smartphone users say they couldn’t live without their cell phones. This addiction comes with a vast number of problems. Phone addiction is linked to sleepless nights, depression and chemical imbalances.

Students are often glued to their phones due to the fear of missing out, or FOMO. FOMO can make people feel like others are all leading more interesting or enjoyable lives which, and can cause distress, since people forget to live their own lives, opting instead to live vicariously through the posts they see on their phone.

What people may not realize is that they are trading the connections they have with their loved ones for time on their phones, which is rather meaningless in the long run. 

A recent study by Laila Chaudhry and Faye O. Prichard at Virginia Commonwealth University indicates that smartphones are beginning to blur the line between personal communication and the extension of oneself, and they are changing the way we communicate with others on an everyday basis.  

Many students are so engrossed in what’s on the screen that they are ignoring family and friends sitting right in front of them. It has become so common that experts have named it “phubbing,” aka phone snubbing. One study from the Computers in Human Behavior journal found that this practice led to breakdowns in communication and relationship dissatisfaction.

Smartphones can be detrimental to a relationship if we are prioritizing them over real and meaningful relationships. Being on your phone communicates that the people around you are not important enough to receive your devoted attention.  

Answering a call, sending an email or texting while spending quality time with others sends a clear message that they are not worthy of your attention, which can cause a rift or weakening of relationships.  

“I think it negatively affects my relationships with people because messages are always expected to be seen, kind of how we expect our voices to be heard,” said John Perry, a junior communication major. “It’s a good way to look at things, but technology doesn’t always work in our favor, and every message doesn’t become read how we would say it.”

Taking out your phone at the dinner table is just bad cell phone etiquette. Unless there is an emergency or you’re expecting a call, there is no reason to keep your phone at hand when you are with other people. 

A study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that people who have their phone with them during a meal are 11 percent more likely to check that phone, diminishing their enjoyment of the experience and increasing boredom.

 “The mere presence of a phone in a dining setting, let alone the touching or use of it, has been shown to significantly decrease conversation partners’ perception of the quality of conversation, as well as trust between the individuals,” said Brianna Lightfoot, a junior sociology major. “Therefore, it can be inferred that excessive social media use can lead to loss of non-virtual connections.”

Lightfoot continued, “When I was younger, yes, I was addicted. But as an adult … I feel as though it’s a distraction. If it isn’t about family or my job, then I don’t need to be on it, honestly.”

With this in mind, it is important to evaluate how you use technology, especially if you feel that it is interfering with your interpersonal relationships. Putting your phone away when spending time with friends or family is an easy way to focus on the people closest to you without the distraction of social media in the palm of your hand.