76 times. Truthfully? Is that possible?
- Rochelle Goldie Uechtritz
- Apr 6, 2017
- 3 min read
Did you know a study showed that on average, a person has 76 interactions with their smart phone in a day? Yes, 76! Or 2,417 touches. "That is absurd!" I hear you say. Personally, I was shocked but not entirely surprised. You see I work remotely, across different time zones, and understand the need to be connected, but this statistic got me thinking......."Is social media actually making us, well, anti-social?"
Now I am no different from anyone else in the marketing world. I need to be 'on top' of all the latest trends, I need to 'be-in-the-know' on what is happening in the world, plus, I have the desire to stay in touch with friends and family dotted all around the globe.
What with smart phone texts/sms, Messenger, What'sApp, Instagram, Facebook, and SnapChat - to name a few - paramount for communication between all age-groups, my question is: "When was the last time you had a heart-warming, newsy, good old gossip-filled telephone 'chin wag'?"
You know the type. Like 'Marcia and Jan' on the 'Brady Bunch'. Fighting over the phone as soon as they rushed in the door from school to gossip with girlfriends that they had been with all day?
Oh Marcia, Marcia, Marcia....I was so 'jelly' (jealous) of your bedroom, your own bathroom and oh that 'gorgey' (gorgeous) house. I wished my Dad was an architect, just like Mike Brady. How I adored that house. (Whoops - I digress)
Apparently those lengthy calls do not happen today. This morning I learnt school-aged children spent an average of 12 hours a week online compared to 10.5 hours spent in front of the TV*. That was outside of school hours and above the Australian recommended time of two hours a day. Honestly, I was shocked. How on earth could they find the time for those memorable, heart-bursting 'chin-wags'?
Knowing my reliance on social media viewing, I started counting the amount of times I reached for my phone. That morning was close to 'ten-times'. That was before I even started work. During the working day, being engrossed with deadlines, it was only to answer calls or make calls. However as soon as I went for lunch, I was shocked at the amount of times I unwittingly 'grabbed it' - to realise I had only put it down seconds ago.
For me, it was not FOMO (fear of missing out), it was more like a subconscious habit. It was like mindlessly reaching for another chocolate or potato crisp, without the action registering, until the packet was gone. That truly made me think - "Is social media the new age addiction?"
With these eye-opening statistics, it is my goal to make a conscious effort to be more aware. My aim is to 're-wire' this woeful habit and vigilantly pick up my sketch book or my camera instead of idolising everyone's 'feed' and longing to be so talented.
In essence, my quest is to rediscover that magical 'extra hour' in a day that I pine for. The anticipation is already giving me that 'heart-warming' feeling of accomplishment and achievement without any sense of FOMO regrets.
Will keep you posted. Why don't you give it a try too?
Until next blog, stay happy and stay in touch, Rochelle
P.S. Did you notice that Marcia Brady is a lefty!
**source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-15/children-now-spend-more-time-online-than-watching-tv/8272708
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