A Problem Smartphone User Discusses The Future of Connectivity

I have a confession: I am a problem smartphone user.

Is it an addiction? I’m not a mental health professional, and I certainly don’t want to minimize the struggle for people with far more severe addictions and compulsions. I do know, however, that I use my phone too much. The Screen Time app tells me that I average about 6 hours a day on my iPhone. There are times when, if my phone is not with me, I start getting jittery and my palms become sweaty. Sometimes, I get lost through my social media feed and completely lose track of time.

And at the end of it all, I feel empty.

I’m working on it. I’ve set timers for apps that I spend too much time on, but I admit that I’ve overruled those limits on many occasions. I’ve put my phone away in my glove compartment when I drive so I’m not tempted to check it. And I’ve been blocking off periods of my day where I completely ditch the phone, sometimes for hours at a time. It’s not always easy, but I’m *slowly* getting better.

I also take comfort knowing that I’m far from alone in my struggles. According to 2018 data compiled by Statista, U.S. Smartphone owners check their device a whopping 47x a day (I’ve seen other statistics as high as 100x). Moreover, 47% of Americans admitted they have tried to curb the amount of time they use their smartphones. Only 30% succeeded.

The issue is particularly pronounced for younger generations. A study from nonprofit group Common Sense Media found that American teenagers spend an average of 9 hours a day interacting with digital media. Research by the same group found that 50% of teenagers believe they are “addicted” to their smartphone.  

This has very serious effects of on our collective psyche. Our attention spans are now in line with squirrels and our ability to multitask has gone to hell. More grave is what this is doing to the mental health of youth. Study after study has shown America’s youth are more depressed and anxious than ever before, and the research has consistently pointed to the rise of social media usage.

(Side note: There is some research coming out to suggest the negative effects of smartphone use, particularly among children, may be overblown. For an alternative opinion, go ahead and read this very good New York Times article. But for the sake of this writing, assume my previous arguments).  

The Future of Connectivity…

The scary thing is this could get worse in the coming years. It’s not just smartphones anymore – the 2020s likely will be an era of more and more connectivity. We’ve already seen the explosion of smart everything – smart watches, TVs, refrigerators, thermostats, toilets, Raggedy Ann dolls, etc. Don’t expect this to slow down – Statista predicts more than 75 billion devices will be connected to the Internet is 2025, nearly triple that of 2019. 

And in the 2020s, nearly every tech and marketing expert preaches about the rise of virtual and augmented reality. As the technology becomes more sophisticated, virtual reality will increasingly feel like actual reality. Want to take a trip to Paris? You won’t need Priceline anymore – Oculus Rift can take care of all your needs.

But I’d like to offer a contrarian view, shaped by my digital overuse as well as data on everyone else’s. I could be wrong and, in 10 years, lampooned for this point of view, but I think we may soon reach a breaking point. More research is going to come out about the deleterious effects of all this digital consumption, prompting action. Parents are going to take more control of their children’s (and hopefully their own) digital use – setting up better habits for the future. Marketing campaigns are going to tackle the tech giants for the products they have rolled out, akin to how campaigns went after the tobacco industry.

From there, the technology industry will take it into their own hands to help solve this collective crisis. Whether it be redesigning products to help curb addiction (Instagram may already be heading down this path by eliminating likes), to supporting other unplugging initiatives, the Google, Apple, Facebooks of the world are going to exercise social responsibility in this arena, even if it affects the short-term bottom line.

…And What It Means for Marketers

In the last 10-15 years, marketing has been all about digital, digital, digital. So many marketing agencies are “digital” or “digital first” marketing agencies. Marketing shops and departments are looking for “digital natives” with deep expertise in SEO, AdWords, Email, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Alexa, mobile app development, TikTok, Oculus Rift, IoT, Chatbots, ahhhhh!

To be clear, I don’t think we’re going to revert to a non-digital world -- I think the aforementioned skills will continue to be in demand. But I do think an “unplugging” movement could very well move from fringe to mainstream. And I believe marketers need to be ready to reach a society more mindful about its relationship with technology.

How so? Truthfully, I’ve always thought the heavy emphasis on “digital, digital digital” has been overkill. Yeah, I said it. Not the skill sets, per se, but the mindset. I think we’re going to see the increasing importance of “marketing everywhere.” The marketing industry is going to lose its obsession with digital and the importance will shift markedly to reaching people where they are, be it connected or unplugged. And there will be an increased emphasis on employing various, non-digital tactics to help build brands. 

In short: the top marketers won’t necessarily be the ones who are experts in all the digital channels. Instead, it will be the ones who know the consumer, knows how to reach them through divergent touchpoints and can deliver the right message.

What do you think? Do you think we’ve reached a breaking point in America in terms of digital technology? And how do you think marketers will need to react if we do get there? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. And please check out more of my articles:

Marketing Trends 2020: The Empowerment of Age 50+

A Lesson in Capitalism: My Trip to the Mall

Facebook and Political Ads: A Complicated Romance

P.S. Kevin Roose of the New York Times wrote an interesting article last year about his problem smartphone use and how he combated it. Highly recommend reading it. 

P.S.S. You know who’s curbing their kids’ tech use? Silicon Valley Parents.