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Top1. Introduction
The last few years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the use of cell phones. Similarly, in recent times there seems to have been a transformation of the cell phone from a status symbol to a necessity because of the countless perks that a mobile phone provides like personal diary, email dispatcher, calculator, video game player, camera and music player (North, Johnston, & Ophoff, 2014; Comulada, Swendeman, & Ramanathan, 2018).). Nigeria market has emerged as the first largest market for mobile phone handsets in Africa (Bude.Com, 2014). As Ezemenaka (2013) reported, cell phones are used as part of the conspicuous consumption ritual and also act as a pacifier for the impulsive tendencies of the user. Ezemenaka goes further to report that technologic addictions (a subset of behavioral addictions) are no different from substance addictions in that users get some kind of reward from cell phone use, resulting in pleasure. According to Baylor University (2012), cell phones are a part of our consumer culture, as both a tool and a status symbol. They're also eroding our relationships. A majority of young people claim that losing their cell phones would be disastrous to their social lives. Some have even called cell phones “the new cigarettes,” seeing as how people fiddle with them in elevators, whip them out as soon as they leave the office, take “cell phone breaks” on the job and chat away while walking, driving, etc. And when your phone isn't ringing, your brain sometimes tricks you into thinking that it is a phenomenon that has been dubbed phantom ringing.
Previous researches (e.g. Thomee, Harenstam, & Hagberg, 2011; Hong, Chiu, & Huang, 2012) have shown that young adults are profligate mobile phone users, sending on average 109.5 texts and checking their phones around 60 times in a typical day. However, this disproportionate use is not simply a youthful fad, as a body of evidence has shown that the psychological compulsion behind this excess is very similar to drug addictions (Srinivas & Fiola, 2013). Increased dependence on mobile technology (e.g., smartphones) has created an even greater neuro-psychological and neuro-social effect on users (Jean & Park, 2012, Hong, Chiu, & Huang, 2012, Kwon, 2013, Perlow, 2012). Smartphones, for instance, has become psychological tools that extend the conscious mind in the way we distribute thoughts, memories, exchange information and ideas, and fortify our relationships (Chou, & Ting, 2012). No doubt, these devices are reliable, yes they are convenient and yes they simplify life. But too much of anything is unhealthy. People have become too dependent on them. In as much as they provide wide and far- reaching advantages, they also have their downsides. People who are addicted to cell phones are more likely to suffer from brain cancer, physical and psychological symptoms, have broken relationships and isolated from the community life (Srinivas & Faiola, 2014).
Similarly, many people today cannot leave the house without the cell phone, some allude that without their cell phones they feel empty and insecure (Ling, 2004). Thus we are experiencing some form of dependency on the use and possession of cellularphone (Banjo, Hu, & Sundar, 2008). Essentially, the purpose of cell phones is to make life easier and productive. If one wants to connect/contact a group of people, one simply goes to the phonebook or opens an email, then selects everyone he wants to share the information with, and right away clicks the send button. Within no minute, they are already on the same page with the sender. This is the beauty of having a cell phone. People have indeed become too dependent on cell phones. In as much as they have improved the quality of life, they have also become an epidemic in modern society. But the problem is not with cell phones. It is people who have taken the devices too seriously. Others depend on it too much. It is ridiculous to see how some people react, for instance, when they lose their cell phones. It’s like they have lost the rest of their lives, or the world has come to an end. Others seriously get pissed off, while others it’s like they have lost a limb or an equivalent. These are the kind of people that cell phones not only play an integral part in their lives but also central to their whole being (South Good News, 2005). According to ‘The World Unplugged Project’ (2019), students who seriously depend on their phones cannot afford to stay away from their phones for more than 24 hours. At the end of first day of the research, all the student participants claimed to have developed psychological symptoms, while others displayed physical symptoms (Silk et al., 2009).