The number of people that say they can't live without their smartphone may (or may not) surprise you

[Shawn Knight]

It’s easy to make jokes about our culture’s smartphone addiction but the reality is, there’s plenty of evidence to back it up. The latest comes in the form of a recent Gallup poll in which 46 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that they couldn’t imagine their life without their smartphone.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the poll found that age was a key determining factor related to smartphone addiction. 51 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 agreed with the statement in question. That figure dropped to just 40 percent among those 65 and older.

When it comes to gender, the poll found that women are universally more bonded to their smartphones than men. What’s more, four in 10 respondents said they would experience anxiety if their phone was lost for a day.

Curiously enough, there are plenty of conclusions that can be drawn based on the type of smartphone a person owns. Among iPhone owners, 52 percent felt they couldn’t imagine life without a smartphone. Just 43 percent of Android owners agreed with the statement while only 27 percent of BlackBerry / Windows Phone / Other users agreed with it.

This data opens itself up to all sorts of agenda-based interpretations (iPhone users are mostly younger people, BlackBerry users don’t love their phones because they are limited and so on) so I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions here.

At the end of the day, however, seven in 10 said they believe their smartphone has made their life better and perhaps that’s really all that matters.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/61346-number-people-they-cant-live-without-their-smartphone.html

 

[Guest]

I think I'll appreciate my phone much more after retirement. As it is now. I'm I feel anxiety every time I'm with my family and the phone rings or beeps. 95% of the time its someone from work, asking a question that they should have figured out for themselves, or just waited for my help next day I work.

 

[Rippleman]

You could ask/say this same thing about any modern convenience.

 

[oldikes]

I would love to live without my smartphone if everyone else did the same. Im tired of always being connected and honestly id go so far as to say that always being connected hurts me. But you pretty much have to now...

 

[p51d007]

I think I'll appreciate my phone much more after retirement. As it is now. I'm I feel anxiety every time I'm with my family and the phone rings or beeps. 95% of the time its someone from work, asking a question that they should have figured out for themselves, or just waited for my help next day I work.

I work for a pretty good size office machine dealer. I've been doing this for over 30 years, and my other techs will call me instead of the equipment manufacturers hotline because I know more sometimes than the hotlines. (I've even had them call me with questions about an old technology called FAX because I studied POTS telephone lines for years, and now with VoIP it's harder to get fax working on them). Some techs (mostly new ones) would call me wanting to know the reset or adjustment code, which is on the top of my head. I'd give them standard answer where is your computer with all your service manuals? In the car, I didn't want to go back to get it, figured you would know it. You know how I knew it? Because I LOOKED IT UP enough times! So, my time isn't that big of a deal, that you interrupted me, to give you a code? Ummmm, well, ahhhhhhh, I'll go get my book. I don't mind helping them with a problem, but I'm not gonna babysit them.

 

[Experimentongod]

I barely use my smartphone (I have a Samsung Galaxy S4). The main function I use it for is the clock!

I also watch videos and do some light web browsing during train rides but that's it.

 

[yRaz]

I'd say that my phone is pretty important to the point I can't live without it, but that's because I use it like a tool. I use the GPS constantly, web browsing on the go is a big one and I also receive some important emails. On top of that, since I do masonry, getting weather updates is very important. I also use a separate GPS app when I'm out doing astronomy.

I have the lumia 1520. I like using it as an e-reader, but I so rarely do that anymore that I might as well not include it.

anyway, my phone carries so many important functions that I really don't know what I'd do without it. I'm not addicted to social media or into playing games. I do miss out on some fiance apps because I have a windows phone, but they all have websites I can access from my browser. It's a minor inconvenience, but it is one I am well aware of.

 

[deemon]

I could not care less. having like 90% of my day access to desktop PC will cover all my network needs. Phone is like a toy I use for sports tracking (which I can do without GPS tracking also...) and alarm clock pretty much only.

 

[Guest]

I'm one of those people that uses their phone only for phone calls and text messages, maybe with the odd picture or video taken now and then. I don't use it a lot though and as a result my battery lasts about 3 weeks between charges. I have never felt the urge to own a smartphone and have owned my nokia for about 5 years.

 

[ET3D]

I used a smartphone because my wife wanted me to have Whatsapp access. Luckily she bears the brunt of the burden, being connected to the school / kindergarten Whatsapp lists. I just go: "oh, you sent me something? I never look at Whatsapp. Just send a text."

I love tablets but don't want a large phone with me.

 

[Capaill]

Pretty much every time I see someone out walking on their own, they are nattering on a phone. It's now extremely rare to see someone not on a phone. Maybe they lost it.

 

[Adhmuz]

As soon as a phone is used for work it's no longer a device but a tool, like a hammer in a tool box, without it I couldn't take pictures of parts for customer and send it directly from the aisles instead of using a camera, walking back to my desk, uploading that picture, attaching it and emailing it. On my phone it's 3 steps, this saves me tones of time. I use it as a GPS when driving, alarm clock, a way to help kill time, camera, flashlight... It's really the modern technology equivalent to the Swiss Army knife, come to think of it, that would make a killer case idea, the Swiss Army Knife Case, looked it up, already exist, time to buy one!

 

[MediaCastleX]

I would say, as a Windows smartphone user, that I *can* imagine life without my smartphone and admit that it would suck...I will NOT live without it, because if it were to fold like everyone wants, I might do something drastic. That said, it really is sad that most other smartphone users have absolutely NO imagination whatsoever...it really sucks to be them. =[

 

[Guest]

I've never owned a cell phone in my life, let alone a smartphone. I'll never understand why everyone wants to be tethered to everyone they know 24 hours a day everywhere they go.

 

[Archean]

I use my smartphone mainly for calls/emails/news etc. So not having one will affect my work related activities mostly, nothing much else. By the way, at times I deliberately leave my smartphone at home to have some peace of mind (well mainly because I very much dislike receiving work related calls in the off time).

Having said that IF I have a choice, I'd never go back to a dumb phone, and rather keep my 1520 instead.