During a recent presentation on mobile marketing I asked for a show-of-hands from the audience and was surprised to see more than half the room readily admit to taking their phone to bed with them.
When I discussed this with a colleague he asked me “what wakes you up in the morning?” [he doesn’t have kids]. He admitted to spending a good 15 minutes on social media before even thinking about reaching for the kettle. He’s only 11 years younger than me but already our phone affairs could be generations apart.
I know this stirs-up anxiety in some folk. The work of photographer Josh Pulman examines an apparent cultural inability to live-in-the-now. But it doesn’t scare me. Mobility is adding value to my life.
First thing in the morning [after the kettle has boiled of course] I have a pocket-sized personal assistant not only reminding me where I need to be, but advising me on how best to get there. If Transport for London’s aim is to get me from A-to-B as conveniently as possible, then mobility completes that promise by steering me clear of delays, and even suggesting an alternative route when it’s raining.
Then there’s the coffee shops, whose numbers seem to have grown hand-in-hand with mobile devices [perhaps they are intrinsically linked?]. Now, their goal is to set me up for the day and put a smile on my face through the medium of caffeine and carbohydrate. The better they get to know me, the more attainable their goal. So connection analytics is helping them to help me.
There can be no doubt that mobile technology has become an inescapable facet of day-to-day life. We’re so used to automatically reaching for our mobiles that most of us don’t fully consider all the different ways that they touch our lives – whether at home, out and about or while working. I’m thankful to work for a company that has embraced mobility earlier than most. Already there’s hardly a system or person in the business that I can’t easily reach from my smartphone or tablet. Perhaps this is why I view mobility as an all-round positive, rather than just a distraction in my personal life.
So, is a smartphone clock-face the face you wake up to?
What facet of mobility do you make the most of?
Is mobility equally important to you at work and at play?
To discover more about how mobility is transforming the way we work, live and play, take a look here.
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