Well, do you? If you do, you’re probably in the same boat as hundreds of thousands, if not millions of iPhone and iPod Touch users that take their devices with them into the washroom. Remember the days of grabbing that Archie book with you to “drop the kids off at the pool”, but now that has been usurped by Apple’s iPhone.

Are You Serious About Taking Your iPhone Into the Bathroom?!

Let me be the first to admit that my iPhone has accompanied me into bathroom trips. I know many of you out there have done the same thing too, and if you aren’t admitting it you’re lying. I know a whole bunch of Blackberry users probably do the same thing. This is something that people don’t really talk about, but we know it’s true. We just can’t put down our iPhones and electronic devices!

What has happened to us that we can’t leave our devices alone for an hour, or get disconnected? The problem is that we are online and connected to the interwebs more so than ever before. Beyond the World Wide Web, we now have Social Media addictions that are growing exponentially. Facebook. Twitter. Myspace. YouTube. You name it, people are hooked!

Disconnect Anxiety: It’s What You Suffer From When You Can’t Put Down Your iPhone

Picture the following activities: driving, sleeping, eating, cooking, hanging out with friends, riding your bike, etc. Of all those activities I’ve named, how many times have you whipped out your iPhone to check email, send text messages, read never ending RSS feeds, or check Facebook? If you answered YES just once, you could be suffering from Disconnect Anxiety.

Here’s the definition:

Disconnect Anxiety refers to various feelings of disorientation and nervousness experienced when a person is
deprived of Internet or wireless access for a period of time.

Disconnect Anxiety was termed by the Solutions Research Group in one of their previous studies. They identified four reasons why people feel anxious when disconnected. Disconnect Anxiety is related to one or more of the following factors:

If disconnected, I will…

Safety: not be able to respond to an emergency
Work: miss important information (and promotion)
Social: miss the party
Navigation: get lost/unable to find my way

Throughout your day, think about where your iPhone is located at all times. Is it within arm’s reach? Is it charging in the Apple Dock next to your bedside table? If it is, it’s probably one of the last things you touch before bed, and the first thing you touch when you wake up, before even brushing your teeth or showering. Boom–Disconnect Anxiety has a new victim!

I may be generalizing in this post, but one thing remains true: we are all addicted to our iPhones (and any other cellphone). Information is flowing fast and furious, and we feel that if we’re not keeping up then you’re falling behind. It’s to the point where you take your iPhone into the washroom with you!

So let me ask this again…and be truthful in your answers: do you take your iPhone into the washroom with you?

If you do, then you might need one of these–oh, and please don’t forget to wash your hands:

Thanks to Mason for the inspiration on this post!

[National Post, SRG USA]