Being someone who was born at the cusp of the digital boom, I knew what life was like before the internet or smartphones, and I'm sure a lot of our readers on Neatorama feel the same. But from the 2010s on, I think the ubiquity of smartphones and the internet has taken over our lives. We cannot live without them, although if by some circumstance, we find ourselves without them, we'll most likely find ways to entertain ourselves or make do without them.
There is this joke about Gen Zs that I found quite interesting because I wasn't sure how true or the extent of its reality was. The comedian was saying that the best kind of punishment parents nowadays can implement on their children is by taking away their phones. I have come to realize that it's true that Gen Zs have become totally dependent on technology. I don't have to look any further than my immediate family. My nieces and my nephews almost always have their faces stuck to their phone screens, and you'll be hard-pressed to get them off those screens.
This brings us to this phobia, which I have just recently discovered, called nomophobia referring to phone separation anxiety. A group of researchers have conducted a study on undergraduate students that tried to find what the factors contributing to nomophobia are, and what the possible means could be of alleviating one's separation anxiety from their phones. You might find it an interesting read especially if you know someone who might be experiencing this condition.
(Image credit: Creative Christians/Unsplash)