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Tech, more addictive than heroin?

The other day, the wife's mobile phone battery died.

As a result, I had to spend a few minutes transferring her SIM card to another phone we had here and making sure it all worked okay.

Why did I bother?

Well I guess it's because we've become so used to having ubiquitous connectivity that the very thought of a loved-one being "disconnected" and going away for the day with a friend was "uncomfortable".

When I think back to the world as it was just a few short decades ago, I marvel at how we managed to move around without having the world in our pocket.

Imagine the horror of having your car break down far from home on a cold winter's night.

These days you'd just call up the AA or a friend to come help -- but in the pre-cellphone era, you'd be forced to try and flag down a passing car (if there were any) or walk to the nearest house and ask for assistance.

Likewise, being out of the house meant being "out of contact". As soon as you left your house or your office, you were unreachable by the wider world. It was actually rather nice, if I'm totally honest.

We weren't able to live in each other's cyber-pockets during every minute of the day and when we were chatting with friends, arguments and discussions would often go on for hours -- since we couldn't "just Google it" to find out who was right and who was wrong.

Unfortunately, I guess I'm as addicted to permanent connectivity as anyone. On the few occasions that I find myself out and about without my phone I must admit to feeling a little anxious about the situation.

What if someone needs to get in touch with me?

What if I need to get in touch with someone?

Yes, it's silly and irrational -- but it's a symptom of the effect that unlimited connectivity is having on our lives.

Perhaps it's making us less self-reliant, more dependent on others. Perhaps our phones have become a virtual safety-blanket, effectively ensuring that we're never alone, no matter where we are.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the one fear we all share is the fear of being left alone. Personally, I enjoy my "alone time" -- but I suspect that as we live increasingly urbanised lifestyles and rely more heavily on cellphones, the Net and such -- "fear of being alone" will grow and leave many people quite debilitated if/when they find themselves without their "device".

Most people kick a drug habit, even tobacco -- but I have yet to find many who can kick the connectivity addiction we seem to be suffering from these days.

Could you?

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