Super Connectivity and the Global Village
With the advent of super connectivity and mobile technology advancements, the global village is full into scan mode and a love affair with smartphones.
I sat down for coffee with three ladies yesterday; out came the phones; there was communication but not with each other. The tragic thing is that at that moment, they didn't realize. It was the most bizarre thing, watching people entranced by the screen on a device.
Random.
With my marketer's mindset, the thought was success, and the level of will be created by the ability to get onto their screens consistently. We are living in some changing and challenging times. Ask any parent trying to limit the screen time of their children and teens. Yes, it's the thought that counts, yes; dynamics are changing personal, interpersonal, family, and workwise.
3 December 1992, a day in history:
Many will not even realize Neil Papworth, a software programmer, sent the world's first text message a day that the world changed. Things progressed at a cracking pace; a year later, in 1993, Nokia introduced an SMS feature to their phones with a distinctive 'beep' to signal an incoming message.
At this time, text messages were limited to 160 characters; to get around it, folks shortened and created a new way to express themselves.
The next level, " Txtspk," was born. ( text speak )
Texting was a pivotal moment in the online world and world history.
Today, there is little that we can not do from a mobile phone. Think about it, and there will be an app available to do what you want to do.
Another view; we have this thing called the school run, where the kids are dropped off to catch the school bus, parents usually mum's, kids, dogs, and little ones, all arrive at the pickup point every school day. You guessed right; everyone is on their phones.
Communicating but not with each other, or maybe they are via text and messenger.
So what a world?
Give a kid a choice between screen time and climbing a tree today.
Climbing a tree wins, hands down, LOL!
As a creative marketer, I am both challenged and perplexed by all of this. On the one hand, it doesn't seem positive on so many different levels, yet we are looking to sell products and services as marketers. Finding that balance and with our creativity bringing value can be the balance.
More and more, I am looking to the mobile world; if I look at my own interactions, it is a smartphone, laptop, tablet, and desktop last. Yet when creating it is desktop, laptop in no favorite order. There is the consumer world and the creator's world. I think that the creator's world will rule them all; that is, if the intent is to focus on the world's mobile view.
Getting it all onto that 5-inch screen can be the key. Does the message have the same impact on the big screen versus the small screen? User experience can be critical here; the audience can be key here; user intent can be key here; products and services can be key here.
As marketers, we like to get people to buy things that makes us happy and pays the bills. Smartphones are here to stay and evolve. My challenge as a marketer is what is the best way to navigate this new adaption of human evolution. Where people exist in the world but also have a virtual world where they are equally comfortable.
The drawing board is out.
Focus on the big screen or focus on the small screen, develop a hybrid approach, or not give it a second thought and keep on creating using the status quo.
One thing for sure people will continue to offer products and services, and people will buy the same. For sellers, it is all about doing it most efficiently and expediently.
One thing for sure marketing has been about and is about creating connections, relationships, and developing trust.
How content is consumed is changing; do we change along with it?
Thank you for reading your thoughts would be appreciated.
Alex Evans
Recent Comments
16
Alex thinking about your Post makes me think about a number of things about blogging in the smart phone age. In the era of fast food, fast this & fast that it starts be become evident that as the smart phone reaches market share it will be the death knell of the 2500 word blogs and even the 1500 word blog. With screens as small as the smartphones have today those kind of blogs will loose a persons interest faster than today with all the scrolling required to finish the Post. I believe that compact blogs if 750 to a 1,000 will need to get points across as long as screen sizes matter. Not only keep the attention and produce the conversion. In any case it will be another exciting opportunity in which to excel.
Edward
Hi Edward, you hit the nail on the head with your comment. Even observing my own and others' interactions, we all want to cut to the chase. You may have made a very keen observation people want to know with the smallest delay.
Most definitely, it will affect the length of posts.
Invariably we all become scanners as we scroll content on our smartphones. Google will still opt for longer posts; it follows there is more information. If we are honest, who reads articles and posts on a desktop. To a degree, Google is out of step with content consumers. They control the game so what Google thinks and wants is the status quo. It is consumers that control the clicks.
There is an opening to create concise and on-point content.
Perhaps long-form content is on its way out?
I appreciate your comment.
Although challenging in some aspects, the mobile drift is going to open up many possibilities. Still, many marketers do not focus on mobile; there is an opportunity to be explored.
Alex
Text speak has affected all areas of life. Our son when he was in college had trouble writing because he did not know grammar capitalization or punctuation. And family gatherings, we say at once two or more people are together I can’t pull our phones unless I think there’s an emergency
Thank you for responding, Jim, txtspk, was at the start of the collective change and I suspect it became an English teachers nightmare. Today mainstream, like phone use.
I like your style for family gatherings it is good to have a framework. Many families struggle with the march of technology into their homes. Especially when teenagers are part of the tribe.
Agreeing with you about the complexities of the online world. I think that like with music, each generation will express themselves with their expertise with their devices.
They will continue to push the limits and make the devices able to fulfil their needs.
Now about conversation, There are some shortcuts that I hear in spoken speech. To my mind marketing will find short cuts too. It is how to communicate with the text tuned world. Will be interesting to see it all develop.
Thanks for the food for thought,
Sami
So true Sami, when it comes to the generations, Tik Tok is a classic, the kids are there trying to break out and be creative with their dance moves, then the marketers get hold of it and they are trying to drive traffic to their websites. The kids don't want to be where their mom and dads are hanging out so move onto the next platform.
Just so very like music.
I think it is the monkey formula, show one monkey or one monkey creates and next minute all the monkeys can do it. We tend to pick up those short cuts by default.
As marketers being aware is one thing being attuned a whole new level.
The coal face of technology is a world of possibility our challenge is to identify opportunities.
Text lists and text promotions are a growing trend.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Sami, I hope things are going good and you are safe and well.
Hi, Alex.
Generalising, it seems to me that face to face we humans are mostly focused on what we want for ourselves. When we all mostly do that, obviously nobody gets what they want from other people.
I think it’s ironic that we have become so much better at delivering what people want via mobile than it seems we are able to do face to face.
:-)
Richard
Hi Richard, the art of conversation seems to be erodded, the more you observe the more ironic it gets.
Alex
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It is true people are indeed buried in their phones these days and the trend is increasing.
I used to be able to ignore my phone and get back to it when I could and or someone would leave a message. I also used to delight in leaving my phone behind.
Sadly, people are no longer content to wait and leave messages. If they cannot reach you immediately, they will often send you a message via some other app and expect some form of immediate response.
I cannot say I like it.
Alex
Hi Alex those trends are well entrenched, it can be hard to adapt to the evolving mobile culture.
As marketers it is something to be aware of and also look at ways we can encorparate it into our marketing endeavors.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Alex