Fenomena Phubbing

Ada sepotong kisah sedih dari perjalanan saya ke Yogyakarta pertengahan September yang lalu.
Kehilangan tiga buah power bank di kereta api Taksaka !! Saya dan putera saya jelas sangat galau karena
power bank itu adalah penyambung hidup gadget kami. Kehilangan power bank berarti kami tidak bisa
24 jam on line, tidak bisa mengunggah foto atau membalas komentar teman-teman di media sosial, sepi
dan merasa tidak nyaman jika nanti kehabisan baterai dan harus mematikan gadget. Harap maklum,
kami berdua sudah terkena sindrom phubbing.

Anda mungkin sering melihat fenomena berikut ini:

Makan bersama, makanan sudah terhidang; semua sibuk memotret makanan tersebut dan langsung
mengunggah fotonya ke media sosial atau sekedar mengganti gambar profil di Blackberry. Dalam waktu
1-2 menit setelahnya, akan muncul komentar dari teman dan berlanjut dengan saling membalas
komentar. Makanan sudah dingin dan masing-masing individu masih sibuk dengan gadget.

Gadget diletakkan sedekat mungkin dalam jarak pandang yang memungkinkan individu untuk segera
tahu jika ada chat masuk atau komentar baru di facebook.

Setiap kali telepon genggam berdering, orang akan langsung merespons meskipun tengah bercakap-
cakap dengan lawan bicara di depannya.

Tiap dua menit lawan bicara kita melirik ke layar gadgetnya untuk mencari tahu apakah ada message
masuk atau tidak.

Gadget selalu stand by di genggaman, jadi bisa langsung merespons jika ada notifikasi.

Ketika berkendaraan, perhatikanlah berapa banyak orang yang langsung meraih gadgetnya begitu lampu
menyala merah dan apa yang mereka lakukan untuk mengisi waktu selama 60-90 detik tersebut.
Membalas chat, memeriksa updates, menelepon.

Menemani anak membuat pe er, kita lebih sibuk dengan gadget daripada mendengarkan soal yang
ditanyakan si anak dan merasa terganggu karena harus membantu mencarikan jawaban atau
menerangkan.

Berjalan di trotoar atau di mal tapi mata tertuju pada layar dan jempol sibuk mengetik.

Semua contoh fenomena yang disebutkan di atas disebut dengan phubbing. Istilah phubbing, berasal
dari kata phone dan snubbing, diciptakan oleh Alex Haigh, mahasiswa Australia yang magang di
perusahaan periklanan terkenal McCann di Australia. Ia kemudian direkrut menjadi pegawai tetap di
sana. Film berjudul A Word is Born merekam keseluruhan proses penciptaan istilah baru ini dan menjadi
iklan untuk Macquarie Dictionary Australia.

Phubbing diartikan sebagai perilaku tidak mengindahkan orang lain, sibuk dengan gadget, kecanduan
gadget. Pelaku phubbing disebut phubbers, yakni orang yang terus menerus cek email, sosial media, atau
chatting menggunakan gadget. Pphubbing (Partner phubbing) adalah phubbing yang dilakukan saat anda
sedang bersama dengan pasangan anda.

Bulan Mei 2012, McCann Melbourne bersama Macquarie Dictionary, mengundang para lexicographers
(editor/penyusun kamus), penulis buku dan puisi untuk memperkenalkan kata phubbing di media
dengan kampanye Stop Phubbing.

Mengapa orang begitu lekat dan tergila-gila dengan gadget? Dulu sebelum demam smartphones muncul,
acara keluarga atau berkencan dengan pacar diisi dengan mengobrol atau bercanda satu sama lain.
Sekarang ini, aliran message dan updates dari media sosial terus masuk tanpa henti ke gadget dan semua
teman yang tersebar di mana-mana hanya terpisah sebatas ketikan atau klik di layar gadget.

Gadget merupakan teknologi yang memungkinkan kita berkomunikasi dan terhubung dengan siapa saja
di mana saja dan kapan saja. Dengan komunikasi versi gadget ini, kita dapat menampilkan diri seperti
yang kita inginkan karena tidak berhadapan langsung dengan lawan bicara. Orang lain tidak dapat
melihat dan menilai bagaimana penampilan kita sebenarnya saat ini, kita dapat mengatur kesan apa
yang ingin ditampilkan, menyusun jawaban dan komentar lebih leluasa. Jadi intinya dengan
berkomunikasi secara virtual, kontrol ada di tangan kita.

Hasil penelitian terhadap 453 responden dewasa yang dilakukan para peneliti Hankamer School of
Business dari Baylor University, Texas, kebiasaan tidak mengindahkan lawan bicara dan lebih fokus pada
gadget akan merusak hubungan romantis dan meningkatkan kecenderungan depresi karena kepuasan
hidup akan menurun. Ketika partner merasa diacuhkan, maka akan timbul konflik dan menurunkan
tingkat kepuasan interaksi satu sama lain, demikian kata Prof. James A. Robers, Ph.D. Studi ini juga
menyimpulkan, bagi pasangan yang hubungannya kurang erat, akan merasa jauh lebih terganggu dengan
perilaku phubbing yang dilakukan pasangannya.

Lebih dari 46% partisipan melaporkan pernah menjadi korban phubbing pasangannya dan phubbing
memicu konflik di antara mereka. Menurut hasil survei yang dilaporkan oleh Meredith David, Ph.D,
asisten professor di Baylor, dalam interaksi sehari-hari dengan pasangan atau orang dekat, phubbing
sering dianggap sebagai suatu tindakan yang normal, tidak merugikan orang lain. Akan tetapi dalam
kenyataannya, semakin sering kebersamaan dengan pasangan diinterupsi oleh phubbing, individu
merasa semakin tidak puas dengan hubungannya.

Hubungan pphubbing dengan depresi menurut Roberts dan David adalah sebagai berikut:

Phubbing + Attachment anxiety ---> konflik ---> ketidakpuasan terhadap hubungan ---> ketidakpuasan
hidup ---> depresi.

Berapa dekade yang lalu, para psikolog memperdebatkan soal pengaruh menonton TV yang membuat
interaksi dengan orang lain berkurang karena individu terpaku pada layar TV. Jika dibandingkan dengan
phubbing saat ini, menonton TV menjadi lebih ‘ringan’ karena ternyata phubbing menyita lebih banyak
waktu daripada menonton TV. Lama kelamaan kemampuan kita untuk berkomunikasi tatap muka akan
menghilang.

Kesimpulan dari hasil survei tersebut sangat mengejutkan. Institusi perkawinan (dan hubungan romantik
pada umumnya) berada dalam kondisi yang rentan. Phubbing menjadi penyebab sekitar 40-50% dari
berakhirnya rumah tangga dan hubungan romantik dan menurunkan skala kepuasan hubungan antar
individu dalam konteks yang lebih luas. Sangat ironis karena awalnya gadget dimaksudkan untuk menjadi
alat komunikasi antar individu dan untuk memudahkan dan mendukung komunikasi, namun sekarang
justru menjadi bumerang, menjadi kendala dalam hubungan interpersonal.

Pasangan atau teman anda mungkin tidak pernah mengeluh secara langsung ketika anda melakukan
phubbing. Seorang teman lama saya bilang, setiap kali ia tiba di rumah atau sedang bersama
pasangannya, ia berusaha meninggalkan gadget; jadi harap maklum jika ia tidak aktif di grup atau agak
lama membalas chat. Ini ia lakukan untuk menghindari konflik dengan pasangannya. Tapi sebaliknya,
pasangannya sering terlihat asik dan sibuk dengan gadget ketika mereka sedang bersama-sama, namun
ia tidak pernah menegur atau mengeluh secara langsung meskipun merasa tidak nyaman menjadi
korban phubbing.

Menurut Dr. Gail Saltz, psikiater dan kontributor di majalah Today, orang tetap merasa ditolak (rejected)
ketika pasangannya lebih tertarik pada gadget daripada mengobrol dengan dirinya, meskipun keluhannya
tidak terucap.
Phubbing

Jadi apa yang harus kita lakukan untuk menghindari phubbing atau menjadi korban phubbing?

Introspeksi bagaimana perilaku kita sendiri ketika menggunakan gadget. Miliki rasa empati pada orang
lain yang sedang bersama kita saat itu.

Jika teman di facebook atau posting di instagram lebih menarik daripada teman yang duduk bersama
anda saat ini, untuk apa anda berada bersama di sini?

Biasakan untuk menyetel gadget menjadi silent mode ketika kita akan bertemu dengan teman atau rekan
kerja.

Taruh gadget dalam tas atau kantong baju daripada ditaruh di atas meja agar tidak tergoda untuk melirik
ke layar gadget setiap dua menit.

Jika ada telepon penting yang masuk, minta izinlah pada lawan bicara anda sebelum menerima telepon
itu.

Jangan mengeluarkan dan menggunakan gadget ketika sedang melamar kerja atau diinterviu. Bisa jadi
anda akan kehilangan kesempatan karena dengan lebih tertarik pada gadget, jelas akan mengurangi
penilaian.

Terus menerus mengintip layar gadget sambil bercakap-cakap bukan multitasking.

Meskipun fungsi smartphones adalah untuk berkomunikasi tapi bukan berarti kita meninggalkan cara
berkomunikasi tatap muka (face-to-face) dan melakukan semuanya dengan smartphones.

Katakan terus terang jika anda merasa keberatan dengan lawan bicara yang tampak lebih sibuk dengan
gadgetnya ketika berbincang-bincang dengan anda.

What is phubbing?
Phubbing is the act of snubbing someone you’re talking with in person in favor of your phone. Quite
simply, it’s phone snubbing.

Phubbing was first coined as a term in May 2012. An Australian advertising agency created this word to
describe the growing phenomenon of people ignoring their friends and family who were right in front of
them and instead scrolling through their phones. Soon after, the Stop Phubbing campaign was launched.

While the word might not be in your daily vocabulary, the action likely is. One study found that more
than 17 percent of people phub others at least four times a day. Almost 32 percent of people report
being phubbed two to three times a day.

While the behavior might not seem like a big deal, research suggests phubbing may be hurting your
relationships and your own mental health. Read on to learn more.

How does phubbing affect relationships?

Phubbing interrupts your ability to be present and engage with people around you. Today, more than
three-quarters of Americans own a smartphone, so the phubbing problem may be getting worse.

One study found that texting during a face-to-face conversation made the experience less satisfying for
everyone involved, even the guilty phubber.

Phubbing and smartphone use also can have an impact on marriages. One study found that phubbing
decreases marital satisfaction. Conflicts over phone use were the driving force of these issues. Another
study found that spouses who phub each other experience higher rates of depression.

How does phubbing affect mental health?

The effect of phubbing may be worse on people who find themselves at the receiving end of the
snubbing. A study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology found that people who viewed
simulated snubbing felt more negatively about the interaction when they were told to imagine being the
person phubbed than when they were not asked that.

What’s the driving force behind those feelings? Phubbing is a threat to four “fundamental needs,” the
study found. Those core needs are:

belongingness

self-esteem

meaningful existence

control

When someone phubs you, you may feel rejected, excluded, and not important. That can have a
significant impact on your mental health.

Research also shows that people who are phubbed are more likely to reach for their phones and try to
engage with their social media network in order to fill that void. This is the start of a vicious cycle.

Plus, diving into social media may actually make the problem worse. Social media may have a negative
impact on your mental health, according to research published in Computers and Human Behavior. The
study found that social media can make feelings of depression worse, and the more you use social
media, the more likely you are to feel depression or anxiety.

HEALTHLINE NEWSLETTER

Get our weekly Depression email

To help you prevent and manage episodes, we’ll send you expert guidance, compassionate personal
stories, and tips.

Enter your email

Enter your email

SIGN UP NOW

Your privacy is important to us

Are you a phubber?

The number one sign that you are guilty of phubbing is in your hand — your phone. If your phone is with
you at all times because you’re afraid you’ll miss a call, a tweet, or a status update, you are likely guilty of
phubbing.

Here are three signs you may be a phubber:

You carry on two conversations at once, on your phone and in person. You’re likely doing neither very
successfully, and you’re most certainly phubbing.

You immediately bring your phone out at dinner or other social settings. Putting your phone beside your
plate “just in case” is a warning sign that you’ll soon be phubbing. Plus, you don’t even have to touch
your phone during a conversation for it to negatively impact your relationship. One study found that just
the presence of the phone made people feel less connected.

You can’t get through a meal without checking your phone. The fear of missing out is real — a real sign
you’re phubbing.

3 ways to stop phubbing

If the idea of giving up social media makes you nervous and a little sick to your stomach, you’re not
alone. In fact, one study found that the urge to check social media is stronger than the urge for sex. That
doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t learn other ways to check in with social media without scrolling
endlessly.

1. Make meals a no-phone zone

When it’s time to eat, no matter where you are, put the phone away. If a distant buzz of notifications will
be too much of a distraction, turn your phone to the “do not disturb” mode, too.
Give yourself each meal to engage with the people in front of you and have a sincere conversation. It
may feel forced at first, but soon you will feel more comfortable with having a face-to-face conversation.

2. Leave your phone behind

You might feel as if you’ve lost a limb, but don’t be afraid to simply put your phone in your car, desk
drawer, or bag — and leave it there. Whatever alerts or updates happen, they’ll be waiting for you later.

3. Challenge yourself

Everyone enjoys a little prize now and then. Make ignoring your phone a challenge. Keep track of the
meals or hours you go without your phone in hand. When you’ve completed a goal, treat yourself, and
then challenge yourself again.

3 ways to help someone else stop phubbing

If you’re trying to help a loved one stop phubbing, here are three steps to get you started:

1. Model a better behavior

If you want to silently encourage the chronic phubber to stop, be a good example. Put your phone away
when you’re lounging on the couch. Don’t encourage them to show you something on their phone
during a date. Focus on the other people at the table. Slowly but surely, they’ll get the hint.

2. Call them out

There’s nothing like hard love. If someone you regularly interact with has a habit of phubbing, tell them.
The Stop Phubbing campaign will email your loved one a note about their behavior if a face-to-face
conversation is too difficult or uncomfortable for you.
Either way, tell them you don’t like it, and then help them develop better habits.

3. Be sympathetic

Phubbing isn’t a real addiction, but it is an impulse problem. Impulses and learned behaviors take some
time to break, so be patient and understanding, but be firm, too. These 13 books can help you learn
more way to change habits.

When to seek help for phubbing

Checking your phone again and again can become an impulse you can’t control. If you have a hard time
stopping the cycle, you may want to speak with a therapist or psychologist. They can help you learn to
redirect your energy.

They can also help you discover why you may have developed this impulse in the first place. For many
people, social media begins as an escape, or a way to zone out at the end of the day. Soon, however, it
may become a problem.

Social media may lead to worsening symptoms of depression and low self-esteem. A therapist can help
you understand these issues and work to improve your response to them so that you don’t feel as
dependent on your phone and the world inside your social media apps.

Takeaway

You don’t have to stop using your phone to prevent phubbing. You just have to be more aware. Being
mindful of your actions when you’re around other people is a great place to start.
You can also ask friends for accountability. If they feel like you’re zoning into your phone, they should feel
free to call your attention to it.

Phubbing is a learned behavior — after all, it’s only recently become a problem — and you can unlearn
it. It will take time and some work, but your mental health and your relationships will thank you for it.

Phubbing (kependekan dari 'phone-snubbing') adalah istilah untuk menjelaskan tindakan acuh seseorang
di dalam sebuah lingkungan, karena lebih fokus pada gadget daripada membangun sebuah percakapan.
Kata 'phubbing' pertama kali dicetuskan oleh tim pakar bahasa yang menyusun Direktori McCann dan
Macquarie tahun 2012.

Istilah ini mencuat seiring dengan meningkatnya penggunaan gawai akhir-akhir ini. Semua orang
cenderung lebih asyik dengan gadgetnya masing-masing, ketimbang memerhatikan lingkungan
sekitarnya.
Phubbing

photo/Ilustrasi/oaxacanoticias.mx

Disadari atau tidak, kita mungkin pernah menjadi salah satu orang yang melakukan 'phubbing', termasuk
ketika berkumpul bersama sahabat, saudara, atau bahkan keluarga. Seolah-olah gadget adalah
segalanya, menjadi teman dari bangun tidur hingga pergi tidur.

Dampak Phubbing

Kebiasaan phubbing akan berdampak buruk jika dibiarkan terus-menerus, baik untuk diri sendiri maupun
orang lain. Hal tersebut dikarenakan pecandu gadget akan sulit menjalani kehidupan nyata, perhatiannya
hanya tertuju pada dunia maya. Hingga akhirnya membuat seseorang menjadi antisosial.

Pakar hubungan dari The Hart Centre Australia, Julie Hart menjelaskan bahwa phubbing bisa
menimbulkan berbagai faktor dalam hubungan antar individu. Di antaranya, tidak terjadi interaksi dua
arah antara individu satu dan lainnya, serta membuat salah satu individu merasa terabaikan.

Phubbing

photo/Ilustrasi/Friends 6.0

Menurut pendapat lain, phubbing bisa mengancam putusnya ikatan hubungan dalam keluarga,
persahabatan, bahkan relasi yang dijalin. Perilaku phubbing yang cenderung mengabaikan orang lain
ketika sedang bersama, akan mengancam ketidakpercayaan orang.

Tips Berhenti Berperilaku Phubbing

Bermain gadget tentu sah-sah saja, tapi jika dilakukan di tempat dan waktu yang mengharuskan kamu
untuk bersosialiasi di dunia nyata, tentu tidaklah baik. Sebelum kamu terjebak dalam perilaku phubbing,
ada baiknya segera diantisipasi. Berikut ini tips berhenti berperilaku phubbing, seperti dirangkum
Indozone dari berbagai sumber, Senin (28/10):

1. Puasa Media Sosial

Phubbing

photo/Ilustrasi/merriam-webster.com

Ketika kamu berencana pergi hangout atau berkumpul bersama orang-orang terdekatmu, seperti
sahabat atau keluarga, sebaiknya lakukan 'puasa' media sosial selama momen tersebut. Kamu bisa
mematikan semua notifikasi dari media sosial yang terpasang di gadget-mu. Dengan begitu, kamu akan
lebih fokus dan meluangkan waktu untuk orang-orang di sekitar.

2. Kumpulkan Handphone Ketika Berkumpul

Phubbing

photo/Ilustrasi/bioguia.com

Ide bagus jika kamu berinisiatif membuat aturan baru ketika momen berkumpul bersama kerabat yaitu
mengumpulkan gadget masing-masing. Jika ada salah satu orang yang tidak tahan dan mengambil
gadget-nya terlebih dahulu, maka dia berhak mendapat hukuman yang telah disepakati bersama di awal.

3. Jauhkan Gadget

Phubbing

photo/Ilustrasi/Pixabay

Dengan menjauhkan gadget dari dirimu, maka perilaku phubbing sangat mudah dihindari. Mungkin ini
memang terlihat cukup ekstrem, tapi cara ini terbilang efektif.
4. Tahan Diri Untuk Tidak Update

Phubbing

photo/Ilustrasi/Pexels

Media sosial memang jadi wadah pamer. Semua orang berlomba-lomba memamerkan segala macam
aktivitas dan kegiatan yang dilakukan, bahkan ketika momen berkumpul sekalipun. Maka dari itu, sebisa
mungkin tahan diri untuk tidak update di media sosial. Toh, kamu tentu tidak ingin menjadi 'alien' di
dunia nyata, kan?

Perkembangan teknologi yang kian canggih, telah memberikan banyak pengaruh dan kemudahan bagi
manusia untuk melakukan komunikasi maupun akses informasi. Jika dahulu banyak orang berkomunikasi
secara lisan dan bertatap muka, maka pada era digital seperti saat ini, seseorang tidak lagi diharuskan
bertemu untuk sekadar menyampaikan pesan atau informasi. Sebab, piranti komunikasi seperti ponsel
atau gawai menjadi perangkat yang mampu mengantarkan pesan dalam waktu singkat. Ditambah lagi
kehadiran media baru seperti internet dan sosial media dewasa ini telah menawarkan akses informasi
secara mudah, luas, dan bebas. Hal tersebut kemudian melahirkan realitas baru berbentuk virtual
bernama dunia maya. Keberadaan dunia maya yang memfasilitasi kebebasan berekspresi dan berbagi
informasi tanpa disadari telah mengakibatkan pola interaksi manusia dalam berjejaring di kehidupan
nyata mengalami perubahan.

Mari kita perhatikan sejenak, ada berapa banyak orang yang lebih sering menatap layar gawai dibanding
menatap lawan bicaranya? Ya, kini banyak dijumpai orang-orang yang lebih disibukkan dengan gawai dan
dunia maya dibandingkan harus berinteraksi atau membangun hubungan dengan lingkungan di
sekitarnya. Fenomena ini disebut dengan phubbing. Bagi sebagian orang mungkin istilah phubbing masih
terdengar asing. Namun rupanyaperilaku tersebut sering kita jumpai atau bahkan kita lakukan dalam
kehidupan sehari-hari. Phubbing merupakan akronim dariphone dan snubbing. Kata ini diciptakan oleh
sejumlah ahli bahasa, komunikasi, dan teknologi di Australia bersama organisasi bernama Macquaire
Dictionary untuk merumuskan sebuah istilah yang menggambarkan perilaku atau sikap tidak
mempedulikan lawan bicara akibat fokus mengoperasikan gawai. Pelaku phubbing disebut sebagai
phubber, sedangkan korban phubbing disebut sebagai phubbed.

Jika dahulu pepatah mengatakan jauh di mata dekat di hati, maka yang terjadi pada para perilaku
phubbing justru sebaliknya. Ketika seseorang asyik menggunakan gawai saat terlibat perbincangan,
seringkali ia tak mengindahkan keberadaan lawan bicaranya. Ironisnya, phubbing justru sering terjadi
saat momen kebersamaan sedang berlangsung. Alih-alih menjalin silaturahim, waktu berkumpul justru
menjadi ajang saling menunduk dan senam jari. Begitupun dalam lingkungan keluarga, pemandangan
phubbing juga kerap dijumpai. Phubbing menunjukkan betapa pengguna media sosial saat ini telah
menjadi manusia yang asyik sendiri. Phubbing mengindikasikan terjadinya komunikasi yang tidak
sempurna antara dua pihak yang saling berinteraksi.

Perilaku phubbing dapat dianalisis menggunakan teori ketergantungan media. Secara sederhana, teori ini
menegaskan bahwa semakin seseorang tergantung pada kebutuhannya dalam menggunakan media,
maka semakin penting peranan media dalam kehidupan seseorang. Hal tersebut kemudian dapat
memberikan banyak pengaruh kepada individu yang bersangkutan (Barran, 2010).Ketika seseorang
keasyikan mengoperasikan gawai saat terlibat perbincangan, maka besar kemungkinania tidak dapat
menyerap informasi dari lawan bicaranya secara maksimal. Tak jarang lawan bicara mereka harus
mengulang pernyataan yang sama untuk menjelaskan. Robert Kaunt (dalam Sparks, 2013) menyatakan
bahwa indvidu yang menggunakan gawai secara berlebihan akan mengalami short attention span atau
gangguan pemusatan perhatian. Pada level tersebut, mereka tidak dapat memahami informasi yang
didengar secara utuh. Lebih lanjut, Kaunt menjelaskan bahwa semakin sering seseorang menggunakan
internet, maka semakin besar pula kemungkinan dirinya terisolasi dari lingkungannya. Bukan hanya itu,
phubbing juga seringkali menjadi pemicu keretakan hubungan dalam relasi sosial. Keberadaan gawai saat
ini seolah mampu menggeser kebutuhan manusia untuk saling bersosialisasi.

Phubbing adalah sebuah dampak ketika pengguna tidak mampu memanfaatkan teknologi dengan bijak.
Tak dapat dipungkiri, terkadang phubbing justru menjadi pilihan ketika seseorang tengah bosan dan
enggan menyimak pembicaraan. Rendahnya kesadaran untuk mendengarkan menjadi faktor utama
penyebab terjadinya sikap acuh tak mengacuhkan. Degradasi adab akibat phubbing akan terus terjadi
apabila masyarakat tak memiliki rasa simpati dan saling menghargai. Kebiasaan ini dapat dikurangi mulai
dari memupuk kesadaran diri. Kesadaran untuk meminimalisir penggunaan gawai dan akses media
sosial, kesadaran untuk saling bersosialisasi, berempati, dan tentu saja, kesadaran bahwa kita adalah
manusia, bukan budak teknologi.

Stay Focused, Stop Phubbing!

Seiring dengan kemajuan teknologi dan perkembangan zaman yang semakin cepat, membuat cara
berkomunikasi antar individu pun mengalami perubahan. Dari cara berkomunikasi harus bertatap muka
dan secara lisan, maka pada era modern ini, jika kita ingin berkomunikasi dengan individu lain kita tidak
harus bertatap muka dahulu dan secara lisan, kita bisa menggunakan smartphone kita masing-masing
sebagai alat penyampaian pesan kepada teman kita atau lawan bicara kita.
Dengan smartphone yang bentuknya praktis dan fungsinya dapat membuat hidup kita menjadi lebih
mudah. Smartphone ini dapat melakukan banyak hal seperti menelpon orang lain, main game, video call
dengan orang lain, bermain sosial media, belanja online, atau membaca novel secara digital. Kehadiran
smartphone seakan menjadi kebutuhan pokok bagi kita sebagai masyarakat modern.

Dalam era ini kita bisa menemukan fenomena seseorang memainkan smartphone tanpa memerdulikan
lingkungan sekitar. Fenomena-fenomena tersebut bisa kita temui di beberapa tempat, yaitu tempat
makan, sebelum pesanan mereka datang biasanya mereka sering sibuk dengan smartphone-nya, lalu
setelah makanan datang mereka malah sibuk sendiri memoto makan tersebut untuk di-upload ke dalam
media sosialnya masing-masing sehingga makanannya sudah dingin dan tidak enak lagi untuk dimakan.

Lalu, di kampus saat sedang ngumpul bersama-sama pasti saja ada seseorang yang sibuk sendiri dengan
smartphone-nya, entah dia bermain game, membaca novel atau hanya bermain sosial media. Di
kendaraan umum seperti Busway, Transjakarta dan Kereta Commuter Line, kita bisa melihat para remaja
yang sibuk sendiri sampai dia tidak peduli dengan orang yang ada di pinggirnya. Di jalan umum kita
sering melihat orang sibuk dengan smartphone-nya sampai dia tidak lihat jalan ke depan.

Kapan sih hal ini bisa terjadi? Fenomena ini bisa terjadi pada siapa saja, misalnya saat dua orang atau
lebih dalam sebuah kehidupan bersama, namun mereka saling berinteraski dengan telepon genggamnya
masing-masing. Mungkin kita menjadi bagian atau bahkan pernah mengalami fenomena tersebut.
Fenomena ini yaitu Phubbing berasal dari kata phone dan snubbing, diciptakan oleh Alex Haigh,
mahasiswa Australia yang magang di perusahaan periklanan terkenal McCann di Australia. Ia kemudian
direkrut menjadi pegawai tetap di sana. Film berjudul A Word is Born merekam keseluruhan proses
penciptaan istilah baru ini dan menjadi iklan untuk Macquarie Dictionary Australia. Hubungan phubbing
dengan depresi menurut Roberts dan David adalah sebagai berikut:

Phubbing + Attachment anxiety ---> konflik ---> ketidakpuasan terhadap hubungan ---> ketidakpuasan
hidup ---> depresi.

Berapa dekade yang lalu, para psikolog memperdebatkan soal pengaruh menonton TV yang membuat
interaksi dengan orang lain berkurang karena individu terpaku pada layar TV. Jika dibandingkan dengan
phubbing saat ini, menonton TV menjadi lebih ‘ringan’ karena ternyata phubbing menyita lebih banyak
waktu daripada menonton TV. Lama kelamaan kemampuan kita untuk berkomunikasi tatap muka akan
menghilang.
Anak yang sibuk bermain gadget

Anak yang sibuk bermain gadget (Foto: Thinstock)

Gadget? Memiliki Nilai Positif atau Negatif?

Bulan Mei 2012, McCann Melbourne bersama Macquarie Dictionary, mengundang para lexicographers
(editor/ penyusun kamus), penulis buku dan puisi untuk memperkenalkan kata phubbing di media
dengan kampanye Stop Phubbing. Mengapa orang begitu lekat dan tergila-gila dengan gadget? Dulu
sebelum demam smartphones muncul, acara keluarga atau berkencan dengan pacar diisi dengan
mengobrol atau bercanda satu sama lain. Sekarang ini, aliran message dan updates dari media sosial
terus masuk tanpa henti ke gadget dan semua teman yang tersebar di mana-mana hanya terpisah
sebatas ketikan atau klik di layar gadget.

Phubbing adalah sebuah istilah untuk tindakan acuh seseorang di dalam sebuah lingkungan, karena lebih
fokus pada gadget dari pada membangun sebuah percakapan. Istilah ini mulai booming seiring dengan
smartphone yang mudah di dapatkan akhir-akhir ini. Dalam sebuah artikel menarik yang dimuat di
Chinadaily.com, phubing dapat mengancam putusnya hubungan dalam keluarga, persahabatan bahkan
mampu mengancam terputusnya relasi. Perilaku phubbing yang mengabaikan dan tidak mempedulikan
orang lain yang tengah bersama dengan Anda akan mengancam ketidakpercayaan orang terhadap anda.

Dampak Phubbing

Ada beberapa dampak yang didapatkan dari Phubbing ini. Beberapa di antaranya yaitu akan menjadi
antisosial karena kita hanya fokus bermain smartphone kita tanpa bersosial di dunia nyata. Cuek atau
tidak peduli terhadap lingkungan sekitar karena fokus terhadap smartphone-nya.

- Menghancurkan hubungan pertemanan

Ilustrasi Kecanduan Medsos

Ilustrasi Kecanduan Medsos (Foto: Thinkstock)

Istilah yang sering digunakan beberapa orang adalah Phubbing (phone snubbing). Beberapa remaja SMA
yang biasa berkumpul di kantin sekolah yang biasanya ngobrol dan becanda tetapi saat ini di jam istirahat
digunakan untuk menunduk ke layar smartphone daripada berinteraksi. Mungkin kita merasa ini sepele
tetapi, bila terus menerus, kemampuan kita berkomunikasi langsung (tatap muka) akan berkurang,
bukan hanya kepada orang baru, ini juga akan berimbas ke orang dekat sekeliling kita dan ini sangat
merugikan diri sendiri.

Saran: komunikasi tatap muka adalah yang paling efektif. Bilapun terpaksa, Anda harus tau bahwa
smartphone bergerak di dunia maya dan Anda di dunia nyata.

- Gila Mengabadikan Kejadian

Ilustrasi Selfie

Ilustrasi Selfie (Foto: Dok. Highsnobiety)

Ada sisi yang menguntungkan dari “kegilaan memoto atau merekam” pengguna smartphone yang biasa
kita sebut dengan selfie atau wefie. Tidak jarang, rekaman dari netizen pengguna smartphone bisa
menjadi bukti beberapa kasus seperti pengeboman, pembunuhan, kecelakan dan lain sebagainya.
Sayangnya, “kegilaan” mengabadikan itu terkadang berlebihan, sampai-sampai hal yang tidak perlu
diabadikan pun tetap direkam atau difoto, di-share jejaring sosial. Dan yang lebih memprihatinkan, bila
ada kejadian yang seharusnya si perekam mampu menolong korban tetapi dia memilih untuk merekam
terus. Ini sesuatu hal yang sangat tidak manusiawi, tetapi itu memang terjadi.

-Sulit melepaskan diri

Ilustrasi Kecanduan Game Online

Ilustrasi kecanduan game online. (Foto: Wikimedia Commons)

Kapanpun, dimanapun asal masih memiliki jaringan internet maka Anda bisa langsung masuk ke dunia
maya. Anda langsung bisa dengan sekejap membaca email masuk, menjawab komentar orang di website
pribadi Anda, mengupload keseharian seperti baru sampai kantor, memotret kejadian di perjalanan. Ini
yang membuat orang-orang sulit terlepas dari smartphone. Sepertinya, sebagian hidupnya sudah ada di
sana.
Kesimpulan dari Phubbing menjadi penyebab sekitar 40-50% dari berakhirnya hubungan romantik dan
menyebabkan kerentanan dalam hubungan antar individu dalam konteks yang lebih luas. Sangat ironis
karena awalnya gadget dimaksudkan untuk menjadi alat komunikasi antar individu dan untuk
memudahkan dan mendukung komunikasi, namun sekarang justru menjadi bumerang, menjadi kendala
dalam hubungan interpersonal.

Eits, siapa bilang? Yuk #letakkangadgetmu sejenak, ajak ngobrol orang di sampingmu dan ciptakan
momen menyenangkan bersama orang-orang terdekat yang ada di sekelilingmu. Be wise using your
gadget, #letakkangadgetmu because happiness is arround you.

Another day, another messed up thing you may be doing to your significant other without even knowing
it. First there was micro-cheating, then there was stashing and benching and something called
cushioning that somehow had nothing to do with a couch. Now there's "phubbing," a phenomenon so
pervasive and problematic that the Journal of Applied Social Psychology was motivated to publish a
scholarly article about it this week.

The definition of phubbing, according to slang authority Urban Dictionary, is "snubbing someone in favor
of your mobile phone." Get it? Phone + snubbing = phubbing. While it sounds like a decidedly millennial
thing to do, in reality, pretty much everyone is guilty of it, and certainly not just in romantic situations.
Examples of phubbing include last night when you mindlessly scrolled through Instagram during dinner
instead of asking your S.O. about their day, that time your dad answered emails in the corner instead of
interacting with the family on Thanksgiving, and all those instances in which your little nephew made it
clear he would rather play games on your iPhone than interact with you in any manner.

According to the study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, phubbing isn't just rude to
whoever you've decided to blow off in favor of your Facebook feed, it's also potentially detrimental to
your own well being. After all, human interaction—like, face-to-face, verbal communication—is a basic
need. In the study, researchers observed 153 participants who were asked to watch an animated video
of two people conversing and imagine themselves as one of the characters. The conversations either
involved no phubbing, partial phubbing or extensive phubbing, and the more phubbing the conversation
contained, the more both the interaction and the relationship were perceived negatively by participants.
As you can probably imagine, feeling like your life is populated by negative, unfulfilling relationships isn't
great for the ol' mental health. In fact, the researchers found that phubbing threatens four of our
"fundamental needs," including belongingness, self-esteem, meaningful existence and control.

This isn't the first study on the effect of cell phones on relationships, and as they continue to play an
increasingly central role in our lives—as the device where we check our email, pay our bills, interact with
friends, find out about news and more—you can bet there will be more of them, and that they will likely
contain similarly bad news for screen addicts. A 2015 study conducted by researchers at Baylor
University, for example, had a similar premise to this one, asking participants to identify phubbing
behaviors in their partners, and demonstrated that people are more likely to feel anxious and unsatisfied
in a relationship if their partner is frequently on their phone around them. A 2012 study even found that
the presence of an unused phone in a conversation can have a negative effect on people's perceived
ability to connect with one another.

“Ironically, phubbing is meant to connect you, presumably, with someone through social media or
texting,” Emma Seppälä, a psychologist at Stanford and Yale, told Time. “But it actually can severely
disrupt your present-moment, in-person relationships.”

Okay, so this all sounds pretty bad. Then again, they do studies about stuff all the time, right? And not all
of the results end up being legitimate. Then again, once upon a time, stuff like smoking and driving
under the influence were considered acceptable behavior. Social mores and what's considered healthy
and safe behavior are forever shifting, and while nobody wants to end up on the wrong side of history, it
can be hard to know what's real and what's just rabble-rousing.

Real talk, none of us are about to forgo our phones, and sometimes, we have legitimate reasons (or what
we like to tell ourselves are legitimate reasons) to stay glued to them. While cutting back on phone use,
especially when it comes to the time-sucking infinite scroll that is social media, is a good and lofty goal,
we also have to be understanding of the fact that sometimes phones are a necessary evil, even at places
like the dinner table. It would take a societal push—something bigger than any of us as individuals—to
really cut back on phone use, because if you're not willing to be connected to the office 24/7, right now,
your boss can easily find someone who will.

That said, partners, dates, friends and even acquaintances who are serial phubbers should be swiftly
called out. If they can produce a decent reason for the faux pas, fine. If not, they should be publicly
shamed. I am only half kidding about this. There is truly nothing worse than attempting to converse with
someone who is clearly only paying half-attention, and you—whoever you are—are better than all that.

However, I'd also argue that at the core of phubbing is a lack of interest a person or situation. Think
about it: When you're really engaged in a person or activity, aren't you less inspired to pull out your
phone? Sure, being on your phone is an addictive habit that you sometimes have to remind yourself not
to fall into, but if you often catch yourself using your phone around the same people (or vice versa),
maybe consider taking it as a sign that the relationship just isn't that important to you (or them). As that
sad old saying goes, sometimes he (or she) is just not that into you. And perhaps the silver lining of
phubbing, if there is one, is that it provides some very clear insight into when that's the case.

Simpan

Save

Cait Munro

Cait Munro is a freelance writer, editor, and digital content creator who obsesses about art, fashion,
entertainment, and culture both pop and otherwise. Her work has appeared on Vice, New York
Magazine, Artnet News, xoJane, BULLETT, and elsewhere.
As if the link between cell phones and cancer wasn’t enough, we now have phubbing to worry about.
Now, you may or may not be wondering: What is phubbing? Maybe using phubbing in a sentence will
help: While having coffee with a friend, I was trying to tell her about my new job, but she was basically
phubbing me the entire time!

If you’re still waiting for me to define phubbing, a basic phubbing definition is to choose technology,
specifically your smartphone, over human interaction. Or, think of it this way: phone + snubbing =
phubbing. Sadly, it’s something we’re all seeing around us on a daily basis these days.

Phubbing is bad for you, and the science is there to prove it. In fact, research suggests that it negatively
impacts relationship satisfaction and overall life satisfaction. (1) Whether you’re looking to help yourself
or someone you know, let’s take a look at the hazards of phubbing. We’ll investigate the many ways to
stop phubbing today so you can return to a more normal, satisfying life.

What Is Phubbing?

So what is phubbing? Phubbing (urban dictionary top definition): snubbing someone in favor of your
mobile phone. (2) Another way to define phubbing: to ignore a person or one’s surroundings when in a
social situation by busying oneself with a phone or other mobile device. (3) The correct phubbing
pronunciation is ˈfʌbɪŋ. Again, think of the word “phone” combined with “snubbing.”

One more phubbing meaning along the same lines comes from the Oxford Living Dictionary. That
definition? Phubbing is “the practice of ignoring one’s companion or companions in order to pay
attention to one’s phone or other mobile device.” This mix of the words “phone” and “snubbing” is said
to have been created by an Australian advertising agency as part of a marketing campaign with the
Macquarie Dictionary. (4)

What causes phubbing? Research published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions reveals that factors
associated with phubbing behavior include addictions to:

Mobile phone

Texting

Social media

Internet addictions (5)

Another study published in 2018 looked at phubbing behavior amongst 400 young adults selected
randomly from five colleges in India and produced similar results. Researchers found that the most
important predictors linked with phubbers were:

Internet addiction

Smartphone addiction

Fear of missing out

Lack of self-control (6)

I’m sure you’re now getting the picture. In fact, chances are you’ve been phubbed. (Or maybe you’ve
done it?)

While phubbing may seem like no big deal and just part of life in a modern world, it’s actually something
we really should be thinking twice about. More and more, studies are showing, and we’re seeing for
ourselves, the harmful effects of this relatively new bad habit.

Dangers of Phubbing

Phubbing is a funny sounding word for something that is actually pretty serious. And it’s only getting
worse as time goes on. Conversations about cell phone health often focus on radiation and its potential
impact on the brain and other organs. Now, it’s time to take a look at what phubbing can do to your
mental and emotional health, too.

1. General Relationship Killer

Psychology Today recently published an article titled, “Phubbing—The #1 Phone Habit to Drop For Better
Relationships.” By far, one of the most negative impacts of phubbing relates to its ability to damage
relationships in your life. This including the ones you have with your family members, friends and co-
workers. According to Emma Seppälä, a psychologist at Stanford and Yale universities and author of The
Happiness Track: “Ironically, phubbing is meant to connect you, presumably, with someone through
social media or texting. But it actually can severely disrupt your present-moment, in-person
relationships.” (7)

Phubbing - Dr. Axe

Whether you’re someone who is commonly phubbing others or you’re on the receiving end of it, there’s
no doubt about it — it often leads to emotional distress. When two people are physically together and
one or both are choosing a phone over human interaction, feelings of disconnection, anger and
resentment may crop up. Depending on the people involved and how often the phubbing takes place,
the damage can be ongoing or even permanent.

2. Harms Romantic Partnerships

Recent research shows that when one or both people in a romantic relationship are phubbers, the
consequences should be taken seriously. One study found that phubbing’s negative impact on
relationship satisfaction can degrade life satisfaction and trigger signs of depression.

When spouses or significant others phub each other, they’re more likely to be dissatisfied with their
relationship and their lives in general. They’re also more likely to feel depressed. The study also found
that people with anxious attachment styles reported higher levels of cell phone conflict than those with
less anxious attachment styles. (8)

3. Damages Mental Health

A clinical study published in 2018 in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology looked at the effects of
phubbing on social interaction. The study participants watched a three-minute animation where they
imagined themselves as part of a two-person conversation. During that conversation, the other person
either phubbed them extensively, partially or not at all. Overall, the researchers found that phubbing
threatened four fundamental human needs:

Belongingness

Self-esteem

Meaningful existence

Control (9)

4. Negative Impacts on Physical, Mental and Social Health in Youth

The effects of phubbing aren’t just impacting adults. We’re seeing major repercussions for younger
users, too. Of course, various challenges are nothing new. But today, navigating from adolescent to
young adults has its own unique set of technologically charged emotional challenges.

Earlier, I mentioned a study of 400 adolescents in India. This was part of the Phubbing Project at the
University of Poland, which took place for six months. The results of the study demonstrate how
phubbing can have “significant consequences” on the social health, relationship health, and self-
flourishing of young adults. Researchers also found phubbing to be “significantly related to depression
and distress.” (10)

Other Dangers of Smartphone Addiction

Loneliness is one of the many dangers of being addicted to technology like smartphones. While phones
are used for communications, it’s important to remember that sometimes we need to disconnect in
order to really connect with people. Loneliness is an ever-growing problem. In fact, researchers believe
it’s responsible for more deaths than obesity. The invention of text messaging and social media comes a
time when research shows we’re feeling more socially isolated and alone than ever. (11)

In addition to mental and emotional health concerns, we should also consider the physical health
concerns linked to cell phones. Even though cell phones are considered to emit low levels of EMFs, some
studies suggest brains effects. Environmental Working Group conducted clinical research to evaluate the
effect of cell phones on brain chemistry. They found that brain glucose increased during extended
exposure. More studies are needed to ID potential long-term harmful consequences of cell phone use,
but I know I’m going to practice the precautionary principle and be smart about my cell phone use. (12)
Telltale Signs of Phubbing

Not sure if you or someone you know is a phubber? These are some telltale signs you’re a phubber: (13)

1. Looking at your phone while someone is talking to you

If you’re face-to-face with but you’re looking at your phone screen while they’re talking, you are
phubbing that person.

2. Taking out a phone in social settings

Say you’re you’re in a social environment with a group of people, but not necessarily involved in a direct
conversation. Choosing to look at your cellphone rather than focusing on the conversation taking place
around you is also typically considered a form of phubbing.

3. Never allowing your phone to be out of your sight

If the thought of letting your phone out of your sight sends shivers down your spine, there’s a high risk
you exhibit phubbing characteristics.

4. Constantly checking a cell phone

If you find yourself impulsively checking your phone, even when you don’t have any notifications, or you
feel compelled to check it every five minutes, there’s a strong chance you’re a phubber.

5. Using a cell phone or other technology in bed

When it comes to romantic relationships, this is a form of phubbing that can really hurt a relationship.
Can’t any area of your home be phone-free? Cell phones are known to mess with your sleep quality, but
if you want to improve your relationship, it’s best to keep it that electromagnetic radiation-emitting
technology out of the bedroom.

How to Overcome Smartphone Addiction

If you’re trying to stop phubbing, then it’s important to learn how to spend time without your phone. If
you’re speaking with a loved one, friend or colleague, make it a personal rule to not look at your phone
unless it’s an emergency of some kind. (Reminder: checking Facebook mindlessly is not an emergency).
When it comes to social media, try to refrain from mindlessly scrolling. Did you know scientists are
identifying links between social media and mental illness?

Schedule a Phone-Free Hour

Julie Hart, a relationship expert from The Hart Centre in Australia, suggests this: “Sit down together and
set out some rules about phone-free time, where you basically put your phone away somewhere where
you can’t hear it, for a full hour every night while you and your partner spend some quality time
together.” (14)

Set Up Phone-Free Zones

Try making certain rooms in your house technology-free or at least, phone-free zones. The bedroom is a
great place to start. Not using technology while eating meals together is another common
recommendation to stop addictive behavior related to cellphone use. Setting boundaries like this for
yourself and your family can go a long way to improve connection and relationship satisfaction. (15)

Don’t Phub Others for Work

For many of us, at the end of the day and when we look back on our lives, we don’t want to think we
traded in our most precious relationships to be tied to our work 24-7.

I know many Americans feel overworked and overstressed, but know that you are in control when it
comes to setting people’s expectations. You may not want to drop everything during off-work hours to
answer a work request in seconds. Just because this behavior is common today doesn’t mean that it’s
normal or healthy.

Center Your Mind

Stress reducing activities like exercise, prayer and meditation can also really help to break addictions to
technology which can make you less likely to be a phubber.
Stopphubbing.com is actually entirely devoted to ending phubbing. The site even offers posters for
businesses (hint, restaurants) to hang up to discourage phubbing.

For more ways to end cell phone addiction, you may want to check out my article on nomophobia.

Statistics

Check out these scary cell phone usage and phubbing stastitics: (16, 17)

On average, we check our phones 150 times a day, which is roughly every four to six minutes

46 percent of people in relationships have been phubbed

22.6 percent say phubbing caused relationship conflicts

87 percent of teens would rather communicate using text messaging rather than face-t0-face interaction

The United States, in particular, New York City, may have the most phubbers followed by Los Angeles and
London.

An average restaurant will see 36 cases of phubbing during an average dinner session

Precautions

Don’t hesitate to seek help if necessary. If you think your phubbing or general use of technology has
gotten out of control and is damaging your health and/or relationships in any way, there are now
therapists that specialize in technology and internet addiction.

Final Thoughts

Phubbing definition: to ignore a person or one’s surroundings when in a social situation by busying
oneself with a phone or other mobile device
Phubbing has become an increasing problem amongst people of all ages in recent years.

Scientific research suggests that phubbers face negative mental and social repercussions as a result of
unhealthy smartphone use.

Reducing cellphone use, especially when in social situations, is the main way to decrease the risk of
phubbing.

Even though it’s a funny sounding word, phubbing is a problem we all really need to address in the
United States and all over the world.
“Phubbing” phenomenon, in the frequent use of a smartphone, describes the habit of snubbing
someone in favor of a mobile phone. Its predictors and consequences are few in developed countries,
but the literature lacks information on its actual occurrence and impact on adolescents and youth in a
developing country such as India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This impact evaluation study was carried out as part of the Phubbing Project of the University of Poland
for 6 months (November 15, 2016–May 15, 2017) on a sample of 400 adolescents and youth selected
randomly from the five colleges in the district of Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh state in India. Data were
collected through the Internet using e-questionnaires sent to all students. The phubbing predictors’ and
consequences’ scales available in literature were used and data were analyzed by a mixed method to get
the study findings.

RESULTS:

The prevalence of phubbing was 49.3%. The most important predictors associated with phubbers were
Internet addiction (p < 0.0001, Odds Ratio 2.26), smartphone addiction (OR 25.9), fear of missing out (OR
18.8), and the lack of self-control (p < 0.0001, OR = 0.73–1.72). Phubbing also had significant
consequences on their social health, relationship health, and self-flourishing, and was significantly
related to depression and distress. Logistic regression analysis showed significant impact of phubbing
predictors on phubbing consequences in phubbers, especially in depressed and distress status.

CONCLUSION:

Adolescents and youth of India need special guidance from government adolescent clinics or colleges or
even families to control this habit in order to promote better physical, mental, and social health.

Keywords: Addiction, adolescents, evaluation, India, Internet, phubbing, smartphone, youth

Introduction
Despite the obvious benefits of smartphones, their potential adverse effects such as addiction in the
form of nomophobia, Internet addiction, and social media addictions of Facebook and WhatsApp are
issues on the increase in developing countries, where the number of smartphone users is rising.[1,2]
Many people in developing countries including India are now showing signs of addiction to the Internet
and are, therefore, becoming problematic smartphone users, which is a cause for concern because of the
potential consequences.[3,4,5,6,7] Therefore, there is a growing unease that smartphones may actually
create a form of misuse or overuse resulting in problematic Internet usage, generating a new problem
known as “Phubbing” rather than a means of enhancing social interactions.[4,5,6,7]

The term “Phubbing” has been defined in various ways as modern communication in which a person
snubs another in a social setting by concentrating on their phone instead of having a conversation.[1]
This phubbing phenomenon elucidates the real negative consequences of the lack of communication
that detrimentally affects relationships and feelings of personal well-being.[5]

In India, 21% of the population are adolescents and nearly 20% of adolescents exhibit the consequences
of smartphones’ overusage in mental health problems in the form of difficulty in concentration and
attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, but the contribution of phubbing is practically unknown.[8,9,10]
In the Indian scenario, smartphone's addiction and problematic internet use among adolescents are on
the increase, which indicates the possibility of phubbing among adolescents and youth.[6,7] Moreover, it
has also been seen that in the age of E-learning, only a few Indian students often use their smartphones
to enhance their learning. The majority use smartphones for personal communication in the courses,[11]
which shows that phubbing may have many predictable or attendant factors[10,11,12,13,14] that are yet
to be studied.

Moreover, there are practically no studies in India except a few[6,7,11,12,13,14] on the negative impact
of the use of a mobile phone such as the smartphone and Internet addiction on the impact of predictors
or consequences of the phubbing phenomenon on Indian adolescents and youth. This, therefore,
remains a blind researchable area and thus one of the main reasons for this rather unique research.

Materials and Methods

The main aim of this study was to assess the role of predictors and their consequent impact on
adolescents and youth from colleges of India as part of the Phubbing Project of the Institute of
Psychology, University of Poland.
This was an impact evaluation study of 6 months’ duration (from November 15, 2016, to May 15, 2017).
First, a written ethical approval from Institutional Research Committees of all the five selected colleges
involved was obtained by the authors after visits to these institutions. A separate approval was obtained
from the University of Poland by the authors by E-mail. The principals of the five selected colleges were
first contacted personally by the Indian authors, and the purpose and usefulness of this study for their
students were explained. Thereafter, students who were willing to participate were further asked to give
their E-mail ids and their permission and written informed consent to participate. They were asked to be
ready to fill the online questionnaire themselves via E-mail and were enrolled in this study. At this time,
at least five students of each of the five colleges were also pretested in this online questionnaire, so the
best possible data were collected via the Internet using e-questionnaires sent to all students.

Out of 36 colleges in district Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh state in India, the five best colleges based
on the ranking of quality of colleges were sampled randomly (with at least one medical college, one
ayurved and Unani college, one science [engineering] college, one arts college, and one commerce
college). College students included in the study belonged to the age group of 15–29 years which covers
both adolescents (10–19 years – WHO definition[15]) and youth (15–29 years – as per the National Youth
Policy [2014] of India[16]). This was done to ensure adequate sampling coverage of the phubbing
phenomenon in young college students as they were more likely to use smartphones as indicated in
some studies[6,7,8] for many purposes.

Out of these five colleges, at least 100 students in the above age group were sampled randomly (simple
random sampling) from each college (a total of 500 students). During the random sampling, the selected
students were involved in the study without any specific criteria relating to their classes. This was based
simply on the adherence to smartphone usage as asserted by the authors in their first visit to the
college. All further communications with the participating students were by E-mails. However, due to
nonresponse/any kind of partial response to the E-questionnaire sent via E-mails, a total of 100 students
from 5 colleges (23 from arts college, 26 from commerce college, 31 from engineering College, and 20
from medical College) were excluded from the 500 students on the basis of the nonresponse criteria of 6
months’ total duration of study, arriving at a final sample size of 400 students.

This sample size was also verified by a formula of cross-sectional studies: n = 4PQ/L2, where n = total
sample size, p was presumed at 50% prevalence of phubbing (WHO criteria - as no past prevalence was
available from any previous studies in India) = 0.5, L (allowable error) = 10% of P, i.e. 0.05, therefore N =
400. Hence, an adequate sample size was ensured in this study to avoid any issue of bias. The study
methodology involved initial cross-sectional survey of phubbing predictors and consequences status
from November 15, 2016 to February 15, 2017 (3 months). The two groups of phubbers and
nonphubbers were then evaluated for the next 3 months (February 16, 2017–May 16, 2017) for the
impact of predictors on consequences status of phubbing.

To study the variables of interest in our study, various phubbing predictor

scales[17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24] were used to define the responses as follows:

Phubbing Prevalence Questionnaire: From this, the prevalence of phubbing in terms of phubbing
frequency and frequency of being phubbed were measured using items scored as guidelines of phubbing
scale (Karadaǧ et al., 2015).[17] It consists of 10 items graded from 1 (never) to 5 (always) on a 5-point
Likert scale

Smartphones and Internet Addiction scale: The scale of Adapted Mobile Phone Use Habits by Smetaniuk,
[18] consisting of 10 items (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree) and the Internet Addiction Scale by
Karadaǧ et al., 2015,[17] consisting of 6 items, on a 5-point scale (1 = rarely; 5 = always)

Self-Control Scale by Tangney et al.:[20] It consists of 13 items to describe on a 5-point scale (1 = not like
me at all; 5 = very much like me)

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) Scale by Przybylski et al.:[19] It consists of 10 items on a 5-point scale (1 =
not at all true of me, 5 = extremely true of me).

The Phubbing Consequences Scales used were as follows:

Social Well-being Scale: The Social Relationship Assessment Scale by Hendrick[21] was used to measure
general relationship satisfaction. It consists of 7 items on a 5-point scale from 1 (low satisfaction) to 5
(high satisfaction)

Satisfaction with Relationship Scale: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale which
consists of 10 items (Radloff, 1977; Eaton, Muntaner, Smith, Tien, and Ybarra, 2004)[22] was used
Self-Flourishing scale: The 8-item Flourishing Scale by Diener et al.[23] was used which measures the
respondent's perceived success in important areas such as relationships, self-esteem, purpose, and
optimism; it provides a single psychological well-being score

Depression and Distress scales by Kessler's 6-item K6 (Kessler et al., 2003)[24] was used. It measures
psychological distress.

The data were analyzed by both quantitative and qualitative methods. Appropriate tests of significance
such as Chi-square test were applied together with appropriate risk calculations and effect size
calculations (Cohen's D and R) to find whether the obtained differences were meaningful or not. In
addition, multinomial logistic regression analysis was applied to see the effect of predictor variables on
consequence variables.

Results

The majority of college students in the present study were in the late adolescent to early youth age
group (38.2%), male (51%), Hindus (47.8%), belonging to general caste (81.3%), above Class I of
socioeconomic class (38.8%), and majority were medical students (24.7%). However, 20% of
nonrespondents (n = 100), i.e. majority were from engineering colleges (31%) and the smallest number
from medical colleges (20%) [Table 1]. The best possible reasons for the nonresponses were that (a) they
did not want their privacy invaded (41%), (b) they did not want to discuss this issue further (33%)
without any reason, and the rest 26% were afraid of being ordered by the college to stop using their
smartphone in class.

Table 1

Table 1

Phubbing behavior profile of sampled adolescents and youth (n=400)

The prevalence of phubbing was 49.3%. Expensive smartphones were the frequently used device for
phubbing (45.1%), in which WhatsApp was the main attraction (33.5%) for phubbing. The characteristics
were also dominated by <½ h of phubbing (42.6%) with frequency <½ day (48.7%). However, college
students were themselves phubbed at least 3–5 times/day (48.8%) and they also reported home family
phubbing to be even higher (65.9%) [Table 1].
On the Phubbing Questionnaire Scale, the most common response was “I feel incomplete without my
mobile phone” (49.3%) and the least common was “I’m not busy with my mobile phone when I’m with
friends” (5.7%). On Adapted Mobile Phone Use Habits Scale, the most common response was “I am
always preoccupied with my mobile phone (49.2%) and the least common was “I never committed illegal
acts (theft) to finance the use of my cell phone” (5.9%). On the Internet Addiction Scale, the most
common response was “The people around me say that I spend too much time on the Internet” (49.1%)
and the least common was “I prefer to spend time on the Internet rather than go out with others” (40%).
On Brief Self-Control Scale, the most common response was “I am unable to resist temptation if I see my
smartphone” (46.9%). The least common was “I wish I had more self-discipline” (11.9%). On the FOMO
Scale, the most common response was “Feel very anxious if I forget or do not see my Smartphone”
(49.2%). The least common was “Even if my smartphone were lost, I would not worry; I would buy
another one” (13.7%) [Table 2].

Table 2

Table 2

Responses on phubbing predictors obtained on scaling criteria (n=400)

The phubbing status of college students was highly significantly associated with all the phubbing
predictors (Internet Addiction and Smartphone Addiction, FOMO, and Self Control) (p < 0.0001 in each
case, Cohen's d (effect size) >0.5) in each case except smartphone addiction. Though the important
predictor was “fear of missing out smartphone” (75.5%, relative risk [RR] = 1.7, OR = 3.7) as the most
common and smartphone addiction (59.7%, RR = 1.4, OR = 2.2) as the least common, the risk of
phubbing was highest with internet addiction) (RR = 2.83, OR = 2.3 and Cohen's d [effect size] = 1.65)
[Table 3].

Table 3

Table 3

Association between Phubbing and possible correlates of Phubbing (n=400)

On Social Well-being Scale, the most common response was “I do not care even if I am labeled as
phubber” (46.8%). The least common was “my peers have asked me to stop phubbing because of my bad
social relations” (8.7%). On Satisfactory Relationships Scale (Radloff, 1977; Eaton et al. and Ybarra, 2004),
the most common response was “my relationship with the family is getting worse” (49.2%) and the least
common was “often my classmates feel rejected because of my phubbing” (5.9%) [Table 4].

Table 4
Table 4

Responses on phubbing consequences obtained on scaling criteria (n=400)

On the Self Flourishing Scale, the most common response was “I feel that I am able to flourish even with
phubbing” (49.1%). The least common was “I think phubbing must be reduced in order for me to
flourish” (40.1%). On the Depression and Distress Scale, the most common response was “I often feel
depressed if I do not phub” (46.9%). The least common was “I want to stop phubbing, but do not know
how, so I feel distressed” (11.9%) [Table 4].

The phubbing status of college students was also highly significantly associated with all the phubbing
consequences (social well-being, healthy relationship, self-flourishing, depression, and distressed) (p <
0.0001 in each case and Cohen's d > 0.5 in each case). The most important consequence of phubbing
was “depression and distress” (55.5%), with the highest (RR = 1.28, OR = 1.74) of phubbing and self-
flourishing as a least consequence (36.6%, RR = 0.4, OR = 0.3) [Table 5].

Table 5

Table 5

Phubbing consequences profile of adolescents and youth (n=400)

The impact of phubbing predictors on the status of consequences among adolescents and youth as per
phubber status revealed that all the phubbing consequences (social well-being, relationship health, self-
flourishing, depression, and distress) were also highly significantly associated (p < 0.0001 each and
Cohen's d [effect size] >0.5 [0.27–0.68]) with phubbing predictors (internet addiction and smartphone
addiction, FOMO, and self-control). However, the highest risk of phubbing was in depression and being
distressed, and this was mainly from smartphone addiction (OR = 11.9, RR = 2.8) and internet addiction
(OR = 5.9, RR = 2.6) [Table 6]. On further multinomial logistic regression analysis, there were also
significant impacts of each of the predictors of phubbing on overall phubbing (average = 0.5, standard
deviation = 0.5, overall model fit Chi-square = 11.09; df = 1; p = 0.001 [p < 0.05], OR = 0.0, coefficient =
21.3, standard error = 0.3) [Table 6].

Table 6

Table 6

Impact of Phubbing Predictors status on Consequences status among Adolescents & youth as per their
Phubber status

Discussion
Adolescents in developing countries such as India are now more inclined toward using mobile phones for
activities other than communication due to the fact that at that stage, they are susceptible to the
changing fashion trends, style, and are getting more tech savvy. The consequences are various behavioral
disorders such as nomophobia (40%), smartphone addiction (40%), internet addiction (40%–45%), fights
with family members (10%), suicides or murders (up to 5%), and even peer phubbing as indicated by
some studies in the literature.[6,7,8,11,12,13,14,15,16,25,26,27]

Although many studies reveal the positive benefits of smartphones including their use to improve
health-care services in developing countries such as India,[28,29,30,31] the use of mobile phones for
phubbing, especially during social events, can have a negative influence on relationships. A few
studies[6,7,8,9,10,11] have revealed that phubbing, which is due to smartphone and internet addiction,
is often offensive to most people. The magnitude of the problem of smartphone addiction in India as
revealed in a meta-analytic study[6] is that it ranges from 39% to 44% in adolescents. The increase in the
use of smartphones in Indian societies has now raised concerns about social and psychological effects of
excessive use, especially by adolescents, who are more vulnerable to various factors such as
nomophobia and addiction to smartphones and the internet.[6,7,8]

In our present study, the magnitude of phubbing (49.3%) can be explained by many factors such as the
young age group involvement, better sociodemographic and economic status, and that medical,
engineering, and commerce college students were the most likely to engage in phubbing. This is similar
to the factors revealed by a few studies on patterns of Internet and smartphone usage by medical and
other types of students in India, in which the magnitude of the smartphone addiction was from 39% to
44%[6] and “problematic Internet usage” was up to 21.6%.[7] The key predictors of problematic internet
usage had a positive correlation between smartphone addiction and phubbing behavior.[1]

The higher prevalence of smartphone usage (77%) may also explain the important phubbing features
present in our study such as excessive social media usage (WhatsApp and Facebook – 62.4% combined),
½–1 h of phubbing (79.1%), phubbing frequency (½–1 day: 89.3%), being phubbed (once to 3 times/day:
51.2%), and the level of home phubbing (65.9%). This finding in our present study reveals the magnitude
of the emerging problem of phubbing in India as similar to the findings in studies[1,5,6,7,18] on
phubbing conducted across the globe in which factors such as heavy social networking of
adolescents[18] have been linked to smartphones and problematic Internet overuse.

In our present study, the phubbing status of college students was highly significantly associated not only
with all the phubbing predictors (p < 0.0001 in each case, Cohen's d [effect size] >0.5 in each case except
smartphone addiction), but also with all phubbing consequences (p < 0.0001 in each case and Cohen's d
>0.5 in each case). The presence of the meaningful risk of phubbing was actually highest with internet
addiction (RR = 2.83, OR = 2.3 and p < 0.0001 and Cohen's d [effect size] = 1.65). The most important
consequence of phubbing in phubbers was depression and distress (55.5%), with the highest (RR = 1.28,
OR = 1.74 and p < 0.0001 and Cohen's d [effect size] = 1.65) prevalence of phubbing. The above findings
in our present study are similar to other studies[1,5,10,11,12,13,14,18,19,30,31,32,33,34] across the
globe which also found that internet addiction, FOMO, and self-control predicted smartphone addiction,
which in turn predicted the extent to which people phub.

In our present study, both predictors and consequences were present in phubbers independent of their
gender. This was in contrast to the study by Acharya et al.[32] who found that both the FOMO and social
networking involvement were more evident in girls than boys.

It is also evident from the literature that cell phone can disrupt leisure time physical activity, promote
sedentary behavior in the most habitual users, and phubbers are also more likely to use their cell phones
for more sedentary activities such as Facebook, Twitter, video games, apps, and surfing the internet as
indicated in some studies.[33,34] This explains some of the important features of “phubbing” as a result
of the predominance of social media in the lives of adolescents in our present study.

On further logistic regression analysis, the most important findings of our study were the significant
impacts of each predictor of phubbing on the overall consequences of phubbing (p < 0.0001 each case),
which was also confirmed by medium-to-large effect obtained in Chi-square test. This was similar to
important phubbing studies[1,4,5,10,13] in the literature throughout the world.

However, despite the best efforts to ensure random sampling of adolescents, a large sample size and
possible individual variations in the institutions selected for study, coupled with the possibility of
questionable answers procured online, may limit the generalization of the findings of this study.
However, the key message from our study is that adolescents in India need regular monitoring of their
smartphone usage both at home and at college.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.
Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

hubbing, aka the act of ignoring the person you're with and staring at your phone instead, is a uniquely
2019 problem. Be honest, you've phubbed before. And maybe even regularly! Most of us are guilty of it.
Personally, I've stared slack-jawed at my phone while my mom told me important news about a sick
relative and also during dinners with friends I actually like. It's sick!

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

Phubbing blocks intimacy and meaningful connections

Harsh but true: When you stare at your phone instead of into the face of the other person, you're
signaling to them they're not worthy of your time.

"When you value your phone over someone who’s in person, the person that’s in front of you will feel
unwanted and may not want to keep hanging out with you," says Katie Ziskind of Wisdom Within
Counseling.
If they're not worthy of your time, then maybe you should ditch them. If they are worthy of your time,
it's best to ditch the device. Otherwise, you might want to be prepared for them to bounce.

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

image

LUCAS OTTONE | STOCKSY

Phubbing can cost you friendships

That's not dramatic, that's real life! And while the person might not be able to pinpoint exactly why they
don't want to hang out with you anymore, it's likely that phubbing is somewhere in their subconscious.

Related Story

image

15 Ways to Be an Awesome Best Friend

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

"If you’re on your phone all the time, you may not have very many friends because no one wants to hang
out with someone who is disconnected emotionally," shares Ziskind. "Because you’re not paying
attention to important people in your life and loved ones, they may stop thinking of you as important."
Ouch.

Beautiful Woman Using Smart Phone Technology For Social Media O

AILA IMAGES | STOCKSY

Phubbing negatively affects romantic relationships

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

Phubbing can get between you and your partner—and it can feel bad for both of you. "Most of us tend
to think that our cell phone habits aren't a big deal, but the reality is that our phones are causing a ton of
tension in our relationships," says Vanessa Marin, sex therapist. "Phubbing hurts your partner's feelings,
makes them feel ignored and unimportant, and prevents the two of you from having quality time and
creating more intimacy."
Phubbing can affect performance in the bedroom

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

image

JOVO_JVNVC | STOCKSY

Yeah, lots of people would rather face time with FaceTime than with the living, breathing person next to
them. "Some of the worst examples happen in the bedroom," says Marin. "One partner will be trying to
initiate sex, and the other partner will be lost in their cell phone. Even if you were just trying to have a
quick snuggle or good-night kiss before falling asleep, being phubbed by your partner is really painful.

You can break out of the phubbing nightmare

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

You can stop the insanity—but it won't be easy. "I know that no one wants to hear this, but we all have
to be much more thoughtful about our cell phone habits," says Marin. She recommends all couples have
designated phone-free time, where you put your phones away completely, and just focus on each other.

"You can also cue each other to stop phubbing," she says. "For example, if you want your partner's
attention but they're staring at their phone, ask them, 'Hey, can I have your attention for a sec?' Wait
until they've fully put their phone away to start talking to them."

image

Here's How to Argue Healthily With Your S.O.

If you can't quit on your own, you can seek help

Sometimes stopping phubbing isn't as easy as just going cold turkey—and asking for help is nothing to be
ashamed of.

"If you feel like you’re addicted to your phone, I recommend seeking counseling because there are
probably underlying emotions that you’re avoiding," says Ziskind.
"[W]hen you avoid reality, you don’t actually deal with what’s going on inside your mind, body, and
emotions."

Follow Laura on Twitter.

like to think I'm a fairly mellow person, but there's one thing that I simply cannot tolerate: "phubbing." If
you don't know what that means, it occurs when someone snubs you in favor of their cell phone.
Irritating, right? According to a new study, it seems that my hatred of this 21st-century phenomenon is
not unreasonable.

Researchers reveal that being "phubbed" can negatively impact our sense of belongingness, which can
lead to a reduction in relationship satisfaction with the offending "phubber."

If you have ever been phubbed, these findings won't come as a surprise.

If you're not sure that you have been the victim of phubbing — or a "phubbee" — ask yourself whether
you've ever been in this scenario:

You're having lunch with a friend. As you're spilling your heart about, say, a relationship problem, your
friend's cell phone buzzes. Suddenly, their attention is diverted, and they proceed to pick up their phone
and respond to a text.
How would this make you feel? Irritated? Ignored? I've been in this situation, and it actually made me
question whether my "friend" really cared; my feelings were swept to one side, and her cell phone took
priority.

Of course, there are times when this type of behavior can be overlooked; the "phubber" may have to
answer a call from a babysitter, or there might be a family emergency. Unless there is a very good reason
for paying attention to one's cell phone instead of engaging in face-to-face conversation, then, in my
opinion, phubbers are simply rude.

However, with more than three quarters of us now owning a smartphone, phubbing is a common
occurrence — so much so that researchers have taken to studying the phone-nomenon (sorry, I couldn't
help myself).

As an example, a study published in 2016 found that more than 17 percent of us phub at least four times
every day. You know who you are.

The latest study — which is published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology — delves into the
feelings of those of us who are on the receiving end of phubbing. The results might state the obvious,
but they make an interesting read.

How phubbing makes us feel

Prof. Karen Douglas and Varoth Chotpitayasunondh, who work at the University of Kent's School of
Psychology in the United Kingdom, enrolled more than 150 adults to their study.

The adults watched one of three 3-minute animations of a conversation between two people. One
animation portrayed high levels of phubbing, one showed partial phubbing, while the third animation
showed no phubbing.

Each participant was asked to imagine that they were one of the people in the animations — more
specifically, the person who was getting phubbed.
Unsurprisingly, people who were phubbed felt less satisfied with the quality of communication with the
phubber, and, more importantly, relationship satisfaction suffered as a result.

Interestingly, the study's results show that such feelings were driven by the negative impact of phubbing
on their sense of belongingness, or the human desire to be accepted by others.

It seems that when we're phubbed, we're internally screaming, "Hello! I'm here, willing to have a face-
to-face conversation with you. Why are you more interested in your cell phone than me?"

O.K., so I have said that out loud to offending phubbers, too, and I think more of us should. Yes,
technology and social media are important parts of modern life, but we shouldn't lose what is clearly a
crucial contributor to our health and well-being: human contact.

Terlalu asyik dengan gawai dan tidak "peduli" dengan lingkungan sekitar ternyata dapat memunculkan
rasa benci dan cemburu.

Situasi di atas disebut "phubbing" atau situasi dimana kita merasa diabaikan oleh lawan bicara kita
karena mereka lebih memilih sibuk dengan gawainya.

Menurut ahli, situasi ini tidak bisa dianggap enteng karena dapat membahayakan kehidupan sosial
mendasar kita. Misalnya kurang menghargai diri sendiri dan hilangnya rasa memiliki.

Dampak phubbing tersebut terungkap dalam sebuah penelitian terbaru di jurnal Applied Social
Psychology.

Penelitian tersebut menyatakan, 9 dari 10 perempuan di Amerika sebagian besar menggunakan gawai
dalam aktivitas harian mereka. Artinya, phubbing telah menjadi hal yang sangat umum di Amerika.

Baca Juga: Pisahkan Anak di Bawah Usia 2 Tahun dengan Gawai

Adalah Varoth Chotpitayasunondh dan Karen Douglas, ilmuwan dari Universitas Kent di Amerika yang
mengamati efek dari phubbing.

Mereka meneliti 128 remaja perempuan di Amerika yang berusia rata-rata 19 tahun.

Dalam penelitian ini, para ahli meminta peserta untuk menonton film animasi berdurasi tiga menit dan
peserta membayangkan diri mereka sedang berinteraksi langsung dengan tokoh di film tersebut.

Peserta hanya bisa membaca gerak bibir si tokoh dalam film dan tidak mendengar apa yang mereka
ucapkan.

Para ahli menerapkan tiga situasi, pertama adalah tokoh di dalam film tidak menggunakan gawai selama
percakapan.

Kedua, perhatian tokoh film beralih ke gawai dan menghabiskan percakapan dengan peserta sambil
bermain dengan gawai mereka. Terkadang secara berkala tertawa dan tersenyum ketika melihat sesuatu
di gawai.

Lalu yang terakhir adalah tokoh di film tetap terlibat dengan peserta yang sedang "diabaikan" dan
terkadang di selingi interaksi tanpa gawai.

Lalu, para peserta diminta untuk menilai tentang percakapan dan bagaimana perasaan mereka saat
mengalami interkasi sosial seperti itu.

Hasilnya, 128 peserta menganggap interaksi sosial mereka semakin memburuk seiring dengan
bertambahnya situasi "phubbing", baik secara kualitas atau makna hubungan sosial mereka.

Baca Juga: Temuan Baru, Sering Pakai Gawai saat Makan Bikin Tak Bahagia
Para ahli meyakini, "phubbing" mengakibatkan pengucilan sosial, mirip dengan situasi saat membuat
orang lain hanya makan sendirian di kantin atau tidak membalas telepon orang lain.

Situasi ini hanya terjadi ketika terjadi dalam interkasi sosial secara langsung, artinya saat bertatap muka
atau setidaknya secara tidak sengaja bertemu dan berinteraksi.

Meski begitu, Chotpitayasunondh dan Douglas mengarisbawahi bahwa pembuktian mereka tentang
"phubbing" tidak serta merta mencegah norma lainnya, seperti pelecehan dari orang lain.

Para ahli menyarankan untuk penelitian lebih lanjut terkait mekanisme sosial tersebut.

Pasti kamu sudah tak asing dengan phubbing. Istilah yang merupakan gabungan dari kata phone dan
snubbing ini adalah situasi di mana seseorang keasyikan bermain-main dengan gadget. Parahnya,
phubbing merujuk pada aktivitas mengabaikan di mana jelas-jelas ada orang lain di depanmu sebagai
lawan bicara.

Kemajuan teknologi kadang tak sebanding dengan efek baik yang diberikan kalau kamu kurang bijak
dalam menggunakannya. Berikut ini adalah 5 ancaman yang akan merusak kualitas hubunganmu dengan
orang lain saat gemar melakukan phubbing.

1. Saat sering melakukan phubbing, otomatis kamu memutuskan komunikasi di dunia nyata

Unsplash/Paul Hanaoka

Salah satu hal yang hampir semua orang lakukan ketika phubbing adalah mengakses media sosial. Ketika
melakukannya, kamu bak terhubung dengan orang lain tapi sebatas di dunia maya.
Di saat yang bersamaan, justru kamu memutuskan komunikasi di dunia nyata. Tentu ini bukanlah sesuatu
yang baik karena sama halnya dengan kamu mengorbankan pentingnya quality time semata-mata karena
gadget.

2. Orang yang jadi korban phubbing akan merasa terasing, tak dihargai, bahkan tersinggung

merriam-webster.com

Korban phubbing bisa mulai dari kerabat, pacar, hingga keluarga. Mungkin kamu merasa senang dan
asyik dengan duniamu sendiri sampai-sampai kamu mengabaikan mereka.

Namun pernahkah kamu berpikir barang sejenak bagaimana perasaan orang lain ketika kamu terlalu
sibuk dengan gadget? Tersinggung sudah pasti. Jangan lupakan juga fakta bahwa mereka akan merasa
terasing sekaligus tak dihargai.

Baca Juga: Wah, Ternyata 5 Zodiak Ini Dikenal Sebagai Gadget Freak Sejati Lho

3. Kamu pun akan dianggap sebagai orang paling menyebalkan karena gemar phubbing

Lanjutkan membaca artikel di bawah

Editor’s picks

8 Gejala Stres Akibat Overwork yang Sering Gak Disadari orang

Kami Tahu Seberapa Beruntung Kamu di Tahun 2020

Prediksi Zodiak 28 Januari 2020, Capricorn Butuh Rehat

logo_idn

illust
Semua berita yang kamu suka #AdadiIDN

Baca berita sesuai topik yang kamu pilih dan

lebih nyaman di IDN app

Download Yuk!

self.com

Bukan sekali dua kali, namun seorang phubber pasti sudah tak terhitung banyaknya mementingkan
gadget ketimbang lawan bicara. Kalau sudah begini, apa risikonya? Kamu akan dianggap sebagai orang
paling menyebalkan karena menyepelekan esensi dari sebuah komunikasi.

Tidak mencurahkan perhatian sepenuhnya pada lawan bicara, kamu membuat mereka bak
bercengkrama dengan dinding.

4. Dampaknya, mereka akan kapok untuk mengobrol denganmu di lain waktu

bustle.com

Pengalaman buruk mengobrol denganmu dapat mengakibatkan para korban phubbing malas
berhadapan lagi. Skenario terburuknya, mereka jadi kapok mengobrol denganmu di lain waktu. Bukan
tak mungkin pula kamu akan kesulitan ketika misalnya punya suatu masalah pribadi. Tak ada teman
untuk berbagi, dampaknya baru kamu rasakan begitu sudah kehilangan mereka.

5. Bukan sebatas hancurnya kedekatan dengan kerabat, hubungan asmara juga dapat berujung kandas
msn.com

Phubbing tak hanya merusak kualitas hubunganmu dengan teman. Namun hubungan asmaramu pun
bisa jadi taruhannya, lho. Ketika harusnya kamu menikmati waktu berdua untuk quality time, justru
eksistensi pacar tergantikan dengan adanya gadget.

Alih-alih waktu terasa menyenangkan, malahan yang ada setiap detik terasa alot dan membosankan
karena hadirnya budaya phubbing tersebut.

Kalau dipikir-pikir, sebenarnya gadget bisa memberi kamu sejuta manfaat kalau digunakan secara bijak.
Namun saat kamu tak bisa memanfaatkannya dengan baik, kehilangan orang terdekat adalah risikonya.

Tak mau merusak kualitas hubungan dengan orang tersayang? Kurang-kurangin sibuk sama gadget pas
lagi ngobrol, ya!