Introduction Mobile phone addiction is getting severe amongst the teenagers in Malaysia. Syed and Nurullah (2009) opine that after the introduction of the prepaid services and the subsidization of handsets, mobile phone communication in Malaysia picked up at a fast pace. Pre-teens (10 to 13 years of age) and teens (13 to 18 years of age) together constituted about 20. 5% of the total user base in Malaysia in 2006, which is a sharp rise from 13. 1% in 2005.
For instance, it is not an uncommon sight in Malaysia to find teenagers ‘thumbing’ their handheld devices in urban public spaces oblivious to the rest of the living world around them, experiencing a new way to express identity; rooted in and giving rise to a new sub-culture with its own norms, values and patterns of behaviour. This sub-culture is, in many ways comparable to that of other societies such as those in Western Europe since it can be argued that there is a limited number of responses that technology can generate in any given society, and that specific cultural variation alter slightly the patterns of usage.
Causes of Mobile Phone Addiction Cell phones are used in public and play a vital role in young adults’ social lives. Many young adults view their cell phones as essential to their happiness. cell phone companies customize the look of the phone and sound to make cell phone an integral part of many young adults-self-identities, cell phones has become an accessory to their outfit, owning a new gadget would bring pride to the young adults (Takaoet, 2009).
The Essay on Dangers Of Cell Phone Use
Dangers of Cell Phone Use The use cellular phone has extended like wild fire in the recent decade. It has become an integral part of everyday life for many American citizens, and a great number of people depend on them to perform daily operations. Unluckily, many of these daily operations take place while the individual is driving. Cell phones and other kinds of wireless communication also ...
Cell phones, along with a myriad of other consumer products are desired possessions the purchase of which goes well beyond the practical aspects of the products themselves. Especially in youth and young adults, cell phones are a source of status and a natural outgrowth of a materialistic desire to own, display and use that could enhance their self-esteem and image (Katz & Sugiyama, 2005).
Solutions Some of the recommended solutions to the problem are, track your mobile phone usage by jotting down in a notepad the amount of time you spend using your
phone and keep the journal for a week, then review the amount of time you are spending on each activity (Grohol, 2007).
Turn off your mobile phone and try setting a deadline every evening for a time to retire the technology, and try not to use it again until the next morning. Grohol (2007) said, “By turning it off, you’re taking back conscious control of your life and this little piece of technology. Mobile phone users must understand that technology improves our life, not affecting our lives.
If technology is creating stress and anxiety then one might have a backwards relationship with technology (Grohol, 2007) Conclusion Mobile phone addiction could threaten the very fabric of the society. Hisao Ishii (2009) said , ”Genuine conversation will be driven out by superficial communication, in which the act of contacting one another is all that matters, leading to a deterioration in the quality of relationships.
” Mobile phone addiction is affecting human relationship, efforts have to be taken to solve this problem, Grohol (2007) said:“ the more you keep track of the time you spend using your cell phone, the better you’ll be able to control it. ” It is time for teenagers to set apart themselves from their mobile phones. If serious efforts are taken into action, in the future mobile phone addiction will not be a problem to teenagers in Malaysia. (495 words) References
