iMicko
02-03-2010, 18:42
The Ivy League brain-trust from Stanford University is trying to tell us something we already know, but with the backing of a formal survey to provide additional credibility. It turns out the iPhone is actually quite "habit forming."
Nearly one-third of the two-hundred Stanford University undergraduates polled for this survey expressed fears that their iPhone is not only addictive, but that they could already be clinically addicted to their beloved smartphone. The survey, in case you're wondering, was conducted by a graduate anthropology class in research methods.
What the folks behind the survey seem to find most disturbing is the way in which many students "personify" their iPhones by either naming it or referring to the device as "my little friend." Consequently, the results of the survey suggest that many people have a dangerously close or addictive relationship with their iPhones.
One of the theories proposed for the growing "obsession" people have with their iPhones is that the mobile device is a way to manage on the go the "internet personality" people cultivate in front of their computer screens. This assumption, naturally, hints at some iPhone users having a split personality - the face they show the world, and the face they show the digital world.
Just how close are the students at Stanford with their iPhones? 75% admitting sleeping with their handset - that is, falling asleep in bed with their device in hand.
Nearly one-third of the two-hundred Stanford University undergraduates polled for this survey expressed fears that their iPhone is not only addictive, but that they could already be clinically addicted to their beloved smartphone. The survey, in case you're wondering, was conducted by a graduate anthropology class in research methods.
What the folks behind the survey seem to find most disturbing is the way in which many students "personify" their iPhones by either naming it or referring to the device as "my little friend." Consequently, the results of the survey suggest that many people have a dangerously close or addictive relationship with their iPhones.
One of the theories proposed for the growing "obsession" people have with their iPhones is that the mobile device is a way to manage on the go the "internet personality" people cultivate in front of their computer screens. This assumption, naturally, hints at some iPhone users having a split personality - the face they show the world, and the face they show the digital world.
Just how close are the students at Stanford with their iPhones? 75% admitting sleeping with their handset - that is, falling asleep in bed with their device in hand.