Cell Phones Dictating Our Lives?

It wasn't that long ago, actually, when our lives did not include cell phones. Hard to remember life without them, especially now that we rely on them for so much. And as my colleague Brooke points out, worse yet they are starting to control our lives. Yikes!

What's your experience, Brooke? Jim.

I never thought that my cell phone could make my life so easy and effortless. I also never thought that my world would be run by technology and that my every move would be publicized for all to see 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Aside from broadcasting our plans through status updates on an hourly basis, did you ever think about what influenced our plans in the first place?

Last week, I read an interesting blog that addressed how our lives have turned into an instinctive motion of looking at our “magical devices” to determine our next big purchase or plan of action.

This blog post got me thinking about how much I actually depend on my cell phone. I hate to admit it, but I am totally guilty of relying on my cell phone for everything, and I am embarrassed that I let this small mobile device dictate my choices and in essence, my life.

I receive alerts on my cell phone about happy hour specials or sample sales, and before I know it, my plans to finally get my glasses fixed or pick up some groceries for the work week suddenly go out the window.

Here’s another example where I let my cell phone control my decisions: I changed my route to work on Thursday morning because a coffee shop on 23rd street claimed to be serving free coffee between the hours of 7 am and 10 am. Truth be told, the special had ended the week before and the man behind the counter did not even know what I was talking about.

Don’t get me wrong; I love receiving alerts about one-of-a-kind deals, especially because I am on a serious budget, so I will take any discount I can get. The disappointment lies in traveling all the way for your “prize” to find out that the Seven Jeans are sold out at the sample sale or the line at Starbucks for a free caramel light Frappuccino® is hours long.

It is then that we must take a step back and decide what is most important? We need to take control of our lives and evaluate whether the reward of getting $10 off those Burberry rain boots is worth skipping out on an important business lunch or meeting a friend who you made plans with two weeks ago.

What will our lives look like 5 years from now if we continue to subconsciously depend on our mobile device for everything? I see those strong relationships and friendships we’ve made go down the drain because our cell phone has now become our new “best friend.”

As much as I am not happy about the future of the smartphone dictating every decision, this is good news for those working in the marketing and public relations industry. It allows us to target our audience and connect with consumers easier now than ever. The challenge then becomes how to connect with our audience and break through the clutter when every brand is starting to follow the same trend.

This blog post really got me thinking. If you'd like to read it, click here.

- Brooke Aronoff, Account Coordinator at Lippe Taylor Brand Communications