In this week’s special wireless issue titled, “THE WIRELESS ISSUE. 10 Ways Your Phone is Changing the World,” TIME explores how mobile phones have become a super-extension of ourselves, altering in fundamental ways how we approach everything from education to politics, from medicine to romance.
The issue includes an exclusive TIME Mobility Poll, conducted in cooperation with Qualcomm, that highlights the increasing significance of mobile technology in our lives. TIME‘s Nancy Gibbs writes, “It is hard to think of any tool, any instrument, any object in history with which so many developed so close a relationship so quickly as we have with our phones.” Read more here.
When it comes to people and their devices, 61% worldwide plan to replace their phone in less than two years; 84% worldwide said they couldn’t go a single day without their mobile devices in hand; 44% would leave their wallets at home in favor of their device; 50% of Americans say they sleep with their mobile next to the bed — as do more than 80% of 18-24 year olds; an 30% said that being without their mobile for even short periods leaves them feeling anxious.
This week’s cover image features more than 200 photographs chosen from 31,429 Instagram photos submitted by TIME readers in more than 120 countries and on all seven continents. Plus, every photograph within the wireless section was originally shot on a mobile phone camera.
Exclusive TIME Mobility Poll:
- 84% Say They Couldn’t Go a Single Day Without Their Mobile Devices in Hand
- 20% said they check their mobile device every ten minutes
- 43% have used texting to ask someone out on a date
- 30% said that being without their mobile for even short periods leaves them feeling anxious
- If forced to choose, 65% worldwide opted to take their wireless mobile device with them in the morning instead of their lunch
- 66% of people feel that their wireless devices have made them better parents