Several things have me thinking lately about mobile devices. Among them:
- A recent episode of the television sitcom, "Modern Family," which was presented entirely through electronic devices; and
- An infographic/short article from The Economist showing how the earth is rapidly becoming a planet of smartphone users.
I was watching "Modern Family" with two seniors. They didn't particularly like the format, they thought it was frenetic, and they didn't think it was effective. I was curious, distracted at first, and found myself thinking, "This is life now, isn't it?" I ended up enjoying the show, after adjusting to the new presentation format.
We didn't have any young people with us at the time, but I imagine they might have fallen into the "Love it!" and/or "This is inventive and wonderful!" camps. These reactions would roughly tie into the data shown in The Economist article.
The article details how smartphone users ages 16-34 spend a solid four hours of each day on their electronic devices, those 55+ only half as much, and people in the middle fall roughly in the middle with their smartphone use.
Also, according to The Economist, today two billion smartphones are in use worldwide--a number expected to double by the end of the decade. By then, nearly 80% of adults, worldwide, will have a device in their pocket.
Mobile devices, it seems, are approaching status quo--they're objects we can't be caught without. It has me questioning: Where does it stop? What is the critical mass for smartphones and other mobile devices?
