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Story URL: http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39179652,00.htm

Mobile 'radio silence' fear afflicts Brits
Oh no, not nomo-phobia...

By Natasha Lomas

Published: Monday 31 March 2008

In the same week as new warnings emerged of a potential link between mobile use and cancer research has found Brits have a pathological fear of mobile 'radio silence' - so much so the majority can't contemplate switching off their handsets in case they lose contact with friends and family.

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Fear of missing work calls is also preying on the minds of many mobile users.

The YouGov survey for The Post Office found more than half (55 per cent) of 2,000 adults surveyed said they never switch off their phone as they want to keep in touch with friends or family.

One in ten people say they need to be contactable at all times because of their job and nine per cent of those surveyed said having their phone switched off makes them anxious - a phobia-like state that has been dubbed 'nomo-phobia'.

Being out of mobile phone contact ranks alongside traditionally stress-inducing situations such as getting married, starting a new job or visiting the dentist, according to the study.

The Post Office's head of telephony, Stewart Fox-Mills, said fear of 'phonelessness' is a symptom of our 24/7 culture. "We're all familiar with the stressful situations of everyday life such as moving house, break-ups and organising a family Christmas - but it seems being out of mobile contact may be the 21st century's contribution to our already manic lives," he said in a statement.

Mobile-phone-induced anxiety could affect more than half (53 per cent) of mobile phone users, with more men (58 per cent) than women (48 per cent) admitting to feeling anxious when they lose their phone, run out of battery or can't get network coverage.

Nomo-phobia joins other anxiety-based mobile neologisms, including CrackBerry, the nickname for the BlackBerry smart phone which plays up its addiction properties; 'phantom ring', when a mobile user reports hearing their phone apparently ring/vibrate but no one has actually called them; and ringxiety, when a ringing mobile sends a group of people into a minor panic as each momentarily thinks it's their phone.

A recent survey by American Express Insurance found the majority of Brits believe portable technology has had a negative effect on work/life balance rather than helping them manage their time better.