Malaysian mobile habits

The New Sunday Times brought quite an interesting piece on Malaysia's mobile phone habits, clearly stating, that more and more people are so used to their mobile phone that they simply cannot live without one. They are described as being so addicted to it (ha - here we got that word) that they don't even want to go to the restroom without it. A girl is quote as saying that, after she lost her phone, she couldn't sleep, or function at all anymore, since her whole life was in the mobile phone. "Universiti Putra Malaysia counsellor Associate Prof Dr Mohamed Fadzil Che Din is not surprised. He says that "It is one of the ‘non-drug’ addictions that is growing with the rapid advancements in information technology." "The handphone has become more than just a communication device."

The numbers quoted in the article are a bit messy, so. "While calls and text messages remain the top functions, the contact list was voted top favourite by almost 15 per cent." Isn't this normal? However, it confirms an earlier statement, that mobile communication companies still face issues in pushing new technologies.

Nevermind also that only 47 people were interviewed, which leaves the study exposed to a high statistical margin of error.

The annecdotal stories are interesting of course, but I believe, you can also pick and chose stories that you want. May be Malaysians are used to communicate a lot, and may be they like to take it everywhere they go. There are probably individual cases of addiction - or, excessive usage. But the majority will be "normal" - as it is the case with everything - and we can treat those with addiction well.

(By Asia Business Consulting)