Are Smartphones Making Us All Infomaniacs?
- By Tim Bajarin, President, Creative Strategies Inc. A version of this essay was originally published at Tech.pinions, a website dedicated to informed opinions, insight and perspective on the tech industry. (Insider Exclusives registration required for this one.)
I admit it. I am and, for over 30 years, have been an “infomaniac.” Even when I was a teenager, I would listen to talk or news radio, and very seldom turn to a music station. For some bizarre reason, I wanted — or perhaps needed — to know what was going on in the world. I am checking news, social media and email way too often, even now.
These days, instead of a radio, my smartphone and tablet feed my appetite for information, and the need for consistent connectivity is always present in my mind. To be fair, I do know how to turn this info gene off, and I am not a slave to it. But I do like to stay abreast of things and, whenever possible, I often use my smartphone to check news, weather, email, social media, etc. On the other hand, since tech news and issues are changing constantly, this info gene actually helps me do my job much better.
It turns out, I am not the only one with this tendency. A recent survey by Statista shows that among all adults 18-65, 11 percent check their phones every few minutes. Forty-one percent check them at least a couple of times an hour. read more
