An MIT survey asked 1,023 adults to rank which great technological inventions they hate the most. The winner? The mobile phone — with a vote of 30 per cent. As the Associated Press writes:

“The interconnectedness you get from the cell phone is a very positive thing, and I think that’s one of the most important things, the bringing together of people. The downside of that is that you sometimes want to be alone,” said [MIT] Lemelson Center Director Merton C. Flemings.

Alarm clocks were a close second, with 25 percent, followed by the television with 23 percent and razors with 14 percent. Microwave ovens, computers and answering machines also earned spots as detested technology.