Last week, I lost a potential client because I don’t own an iPhone. The company, a developer of an iPhone application for moms, wanted me to lead their social media and community outreach activities. I was intrigued, but had to tell them right away that I am probably not the best candidate for the job – because I don’t even own an iPhone, let alone use any iPhone applications.
Mobile is hot, they tell me, and mobile social media is even hotter. PCs and laptops are so last century. Now, it all happens on the tiny screens that you can take with you, those that make it possible for you have the Internet – the world – right there at the palm of your hand. When it comes to communication, everyone, it seems, wants constant connectivity.
The thing is, I don’t. I don’t want constant connectivity and I don’t want to take the Internet with me when I’m out and about. I am glued to my computer most of the day, sitting here typing tweets and emails and blog posts. When I leave the house, I actually breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that for a short while I won’t be typing or straining my eyes to look at a screen. I like to be free to look around and explore, to listen to music as I drive, to smile at people and talk with them. Sometimes, I even notice an interesting cloud in the sky.
Have you seen the movie WALL-E? It depicts a future human society where people do not interact with each other any more – not face to face, anyway. They chatter endlessly, but they do it into screens attached to their beds (beds they’re unable to get up from because they are too fat). Even when they’re right next to each other, they don’t communicate directly. They do it all via screens.
As someone who spends at least 6 hours each day firmly attached to my own screen, at home, the last thing I want is to have a screen to look at when I am out of the house. So no, I don’t own a smartphone and have no plans whatsoever to purchase one in the foreseeable future. Sure, it can be convenient – Internet access on the road is very convenient – but to me, the convenience is simply not worth the price.
Oh, and the couple in the photo above? Could somebody please tell them to put those stupid phones down and look into each other’s eyes?
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- Online Social Networking: How To Make It Work
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I'm Vered DeLeeuw, a blogger for hire and a social media consultant. My social media campaigns increase brand awareness and loyalty, improve search engine rankings and drive targeted traffic to my clients' websites. Momgrind is my personal blog.
