Second Screen Syndrome!!! - A global epidemic

ATTENTION PLEASE!! ATTENTION PLEASE!!! There is an epidemic sweeping not just the UK but the whole world and NO I am not talking about TWERKING!! 

No, I am talking about talking about the SECOND SCREEN SYNDROME!!!  From children, to commuters to work colleges!!                                                             

We all, including myself, have evolved with our necks cranked at a 45 degrees angle to view our mobile smartphones. 

With mobile smart devices we now have the world at our finger tips with the ability to read, watch and play as much content as we want and you might argue that this is a good thing right??

Weelll yes and no! Information is brilliant, however, as psychologist Dr Sherry Turkie fears we may be more connected but we are also more alone than ever. She argues that our phones are becoming a tool for us to not properly engage with society and each other. She goes on to say where getting use to a way of being ALONE TOGETHER!!

It’s the Goldilocks effect. Not too close but not too far, just right enough to engage. People want to be with each other but also somewhere else. In a sense it’s all about perception, people want to control the perception they give to a certain situation. Social networks allow us to control what we say. It gives us control of how we are perceived.

I stress mobile with social media as it’s the highest usage amongst mobile users with an average of 5.2 hours spent on social media worldwide. Mobile played a very important role in Facebook’s business with 53% of advertising revenue or $1.24 billion, coming from its mobile products. The point is, social media or in this case Facebook understands the importance of mobile and its’ reach. By the end of 2014 it is expected there will be more smart phones then there are people on the planet. Yeap, and this means more texting, more sharing and darn it more SELFIE'S - read my second blog.

There is also the FOMO!! FOMO!!?? Yes FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out. WHAT!? With news being constantly shared every second people especially the younger generation are afraid of what they are missing and hence this might contribute to why some of us on avergage check our Facebook status every 90 minutes; cause who knows what will happen if you don’t see or the like the picture of your friend taking yet another SELFIE – again read my second blog.

I wonder what will happen to our interpersonal skills. Will the next generation be able to speak to each other face to face or sit side by side texting each other. 

Maybe companies need to start conducting interviews on social media, who knows, but one thing is for sure, mobile is here to stay and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Psssst I bet your reading this with one device while using another device also. Heheheh  and THAT’S THE TWUTH!!!