While phubbing most definitely has social consequences, it also has a significant environmental impact as smartphones consume far more energy than most of us think.
People who use their phones to access 1.58 gigabytes of data each month are using more energy each year than an average fridge, according to research done by the Digital Power Group. Digital Power Group CEO Mark Mills said: “When you use your smartphone, you are connecting to computers all around the world and turning them on too. It’s as if turning on your car turned on all the other cars in the car park as well.”
Another relatively new techno term is ‘nomophobia’. This means the fear of being without or unable to use your mobile phone. (No + mobile + phobia).
In other words: Another term that points at our overwhelming dependence on mobile technology. So next time you’re out having a meal with friends or family, I challenge you to all pile your cellphones face-down on the restaurant table for the duration of the meal.
The first person to grab his phone out of the pile to check it must pay the bill. Check out stopphubbing.com and the Stop Phubbing Facebook page (which already has over 17 000 likes) to join the revolution yourself.