No More Phones for the Nomophobic

Breaking the technological chain that binds us

            Are you addicted to your smartphone? Are you classified as being Nomophobic? Yes, if you have not heard of the term, Nomophobia is a real thing. It is an abbreviation of “no-mobile-phone phobia”, and it is spreading across America at a blistering pace. Many who are Nomophobic do not even realize it, or simply in denial. Ever leave the house without your smartphone? How did that make you feel? Did you become anxious and thought about turning around even if it would make you late getting to an appointment? Do you constantly text and drive even though you know very well what the consequences may be? This is all classic symptoms of no-mobile phone phobia.

            The use of these devices are so widespread, and are quickly replacing the cellphone as the primary device used for communication. A recent study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project backs up that statement. It found that 56 percent of American adults now own smartphones today, with only 35 percent owning a non-smart cellular phone. If we are not careful, we could end up like South Korea, a country that is dealing with high percentages of smartphone addiction by its youth. The Wall Street Journal has a great article on this that discusses it further.

When you really think about it, it’s understandable why someone would become anxious when not having an “extension of themselves”. Just think about all the things your phone can do; how much data you store on it; and how much you probably rely on it to stay connected throughout the day. On my iPhone, I can check my bank account, check email, take a look at my wedding photos, check all my social accounts, FaceTime with mom, and order a newer phone from amazon. Talk about putting all of your eggs in one basket. No wonder the movie theater has to basically threaten movie goers in order to get them to put away their smartphones right before the movie begins.

            Allow me to post a YouTube link of a video that clearly demonstrates the addiction, the attachment, and the Nomophobia. It's called "I Forgot My Phone", published by charstarleneTV.

This video, which was just published recently, revolves around a young female and her boyfriend, family, and friends. It begins by showing how she is clearly annoyed by the boyfriend who is in bed on his phone, or when he is on the phone with someone when he should be spending quality time with her. The video goes on to show just how much this device has penetrated our lives and takes away those seconds, minutes, hours, that could’ve been precious moments we could be spending with family or friends in person.

                It’s essentially Smartphone addiction. Simply go to your favorite search engine and type those words; you will find plenty of recent articles, studies, research, and blog posts like this one that discusses Smartphone addiction in great depth. I believe this is helping destroy the very fabric that connects a family or community. It’s a distraction that is pulling our attention away from moments that ultimately are more fulfilling, in my opinion.  It’s not about what the device can do simply from a technological standpoint; it doesn't have feet to stand on without the content. So it is the convenience factor of it all. The Apple and Android app stores gives us access to Facebook, instagram, tumblr, twitter, you name it. The smartphone makes it so easy and gives us every excuse to take out a block of time to check for any updates or emails. Problem is, for most, we do not know how to simply take that block of time and then be done. That block quickly turns into a boulder.

                For me, it is twofold when it comes to the action I believe is required. One is creating a culture in America where there is a strong technological etiquette; not only on how to use technology, but also when. Then you should have more places where smartphones should simply be banned or not allowed. WE are all pretty familiar with the places currently that do not allow the use of smartphones, I think we need to add to that list. So I would like to ask the art of cyber dribble posters and readers, what do you think needs to be done to bring us all back down to earth? Is it as simple as instituting some type of smartphone etiquette? Or does it have to go deeper than that? Are there some folks out there who believe nothing should be done and simply let this take its course?

Kenneth J. Henry Jr.

            

Teens, Social Media, and Privacy

A current concern tied to cyberspace and social media is the level of privacy of personal profiles held by teens.  This concern is shared by parents, step-parents, foster parents, guardians, and advocates.  This generation of teens has grown up alongside cyberspace; when they were born, 1994 – 2000, internet use and availability were growing exponentially in every household.  Teens inevitably want to have personal profiles on social networking websites that may include: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Myspace. But will they be safe?  Will they properly set their profile’s security and privacy settings?  Will they ask for help if they are unsure about how to set these parameters?  If they ask for help, who will they ask?

Majority of teens ask for advice

70% of teen internet users have asked for or sought out advice on managing their privacy online (Lenhart, Madden, Cortesi, Urs & Smith, 2013).  If they are seeking advice, who from?  It appears that those teens that do ask for help in either setting their privacy or discussing the level of their privacy, ask those closest to them.  Similar to the building of trust and who people trust more than others, teens will ask for advice from those closest to them in regards to social privacy.  The highest percentages of who teens ask for help were people they knew personally.  42% - 37% was the range for groups asked for advice that included friends, parents, and siblings or cousins.  The lower percentage groups sought for advice, 13% - 3%, included websites, teachers, and other persons or resources (Lenhart, Madden, Cortesi, Urs & Smith, 2013).  This is reassuring because a majority of teens will seek advice when they require any from those personally trusted people.  As a parent, I welcome hearing these facts.  I pray that my children will feel free in asking me or my wife regarding on-line social privacy, as well as any other life question they may have.  For all other adults responsible for children, please be aware of privacy settings in social media in the case your teens ask you.

Summary:  Who is likely not to ask for advice and why

The two exceptions: the teens who seek advice are more likely than non-seekers to block other people and to delete or deactivate a profile entirely (Lenhart, Madden, Cortesi, Urs & Smith, 2013).  Teens that do not ask for advice are not as keen on these websites.  They are unaware or uncaring about protecting themselves from others.  Boys were found to ask for advice less than girls.  Also, those not seeking advice not block people and are more likely to share coded messages or inside jokes.

If you are an adult in charge of children I urge you to talk to your children about privacy in social networking sites.

 

 

Reference

Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Cortesi, S., Urs, G., & Smith, A. (2013, August 15). Where teens seek online privacy advice. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Where-Teens-Seek-Privacy-Advice/Main-Findings/Teens-and-online-privacy-advice.aspx

Are you a target for Identity Theft?

Are you a target for Identity Theft?

Cyber thieves are out there.  Identity theft has become a HUGE problem with the emergence of the World Wide Web.  No longer does someone need to steal your mail to steal your identity.  Cyber thieves have quickly evolved and adapted to new technology by making entire businesses off of stealing identities and other personal data, then selling this technology, or the information they stole using it, to the highest paying criminals.  These cyber weapons are elaborate, sophisticated tools that leave victims helpless to stop them.  Almost anything you save on your computer or type into your Internet browser is subject to be in a cyber thief’s trophy collection.  Who are they after?   Could it be you?  How can you protect yourself?

Graphic Source: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/burkecountyextension/home-and-family/identity-theft-what-to-know-and-what-to-do

One form of identity theft is credit card fraud.  Just by owning a credit card and using it makes you a target.  You should always make sure the website you choose to buy from has the secure hyper-text transfer protocol in use.  You can verify this by looking at the address of the page you are on in your web browser.  The start of the address should be https:// rather than http://.    This doesn’t completely protect you.  Your card information may be stored on the company’s server for your convenience should you decide to shop again. (Anderson, 2006) How convenient would it be if a hacker obtained the stored credit card numbers from a website?  If you choose to store your credit card numbers on a particular website, then you must trust that company’s online security team with your identity. 

Even if you don’t use your credit card online, you can still have your number stolen if you aren’t careful.  Think about paying for your meal at a restaurant.  You place your credit card in an envelope and your server runs out back with it.  Do they have enough time to snap a photo of your credit card or copy the number down while they are back there?  About 50% of people refuse to pay for their meals with a credit card for this very reason.  (Anderson, 2006). 

You may ask yourself, “How have these cyber criminals become so good at stealing my money?”  The simple answer to this complicated question is that they did it with an open mind.  According to Filshtinskiy (2013), “criminals have always raced ahead of the pack, figuring out how to steal from somewhere before the rest of the population realized there was money to be had”.  All of this money has made cybercrime into a very lucrative venture.  “Various sources put individual monetary losses from cybercrime as more than $100 billion (Filshtinskiy, 2013).”  With this type of revenue being generated cybercrime businesses have begun to spring up all over the world.  These businesses make their living off of providing cyberweapons to other criminals willing to pay for the services. 

Cyberweapons are cleverly crafted cyber activities that disrupt, destroy, or steal sensitive computer systems, and the information they contain.  The types of cyberweapons can range anywhere from sending unsolicited messages through email or social networking sites, to sophisticated attacks that bring down a country’s uranium enrichment plant (Filshtinskiy, 2013).  The largest percentage of business for cyberweapons is the ability to steal large databases of passwords.  With these passwords in hand, cyber thieves across the world can steal countless amounts of identities.

Now you are aware how your info can be stolen.  Who is most likely to have their card stolen?  Anderson (2006) had some interesting observations as the result of a study performed.  Basically, people who use credit cards are a likely target.  If you have a higher income, you are a target because you are more likely to be approved for credit cards.  If you have several people in your household, you are a target because you will be spending more money than a smaller household.  Younger people are a target since they may make risky purchases whereas older folks are more cautious.  Does gender play a role?  The study showed that women are more likely to have their credit card number stolen than men, but there was no significant evidence as to why this is.  Perhaps women are a target since in general women shop more than men.  Whatever the case, it doesn’t hurt to be aware. 

You have some tools to prevent the damage of identity theft to get too high.  (Anderson, 2006).  Be vigilant in monitoring your accounts for fraudulent activity.  Be sure not to throw away correspondence that has your personal information.  Use care when deciding when and if you should use a credit card.  Make sure the computers you use have up to date anti-virus and malware protection software on them.  Routinely update the program’s virus definitions and keep them current.  Following these few simple steps can drastically reduce the risk of having your identity stolen.

Anderson, K. (2006). Who Are the Victims of Identity Theft? The Effect of Demographics.  Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 25(2), 160-171.  doi:10.1509/jppm.25.2.160

Filshtinskiy, S. (2013). Cybercrime, cyberweapons, cyber wars: is there too much of it in the air?  Communications of the ACM, Volume 56: Issue 6.