Denuo - denuology.com

Yes, I went a week without mobile. No, I’m not crazy—just curious about the implications a few days without my technology life source would have on me. As a person who may or may not experience phantom cell phone vibrations, I couldn’t imagine what this time would be like. Would I feel freer? Naked? Lonely? More social and in the moment? My hunch (or as the science folks call it, “hypothesis”) was that while I would be freaking out without it, I would have more real human interaction and be more observant of the world around me. But, before I get into the gory details of my learnings, I want to make a few clarifications:

I’m guilty. I’m guilty of basing nearly every decision I make off of someone else’s review of it. No review means that the product isn’t worth it. Three stars on Yelp means it’s only a backup to a backup for Thursday night girls’ dinner. At first glance, this seems only natural and right. The point of having reviews is to be able to make informed decisions based on others’ experiences, right? But what happens when there are opposing reviews, making it nearly impossible to make any decision at all? Four reviews say the DSW boots look like quality leather. Two say they look like “pleather” and make your calves look fat. Naturally, I don’t want to make my calves look fat, so I’ll keep perusing and find something else. This is the issue of analysis paralysis or “I’m going to read every bad review this product has ever had and be talked out of purchasing something I could actually like” paralysis.

We live in a world where parents name their children after social actions, where social media can , and where consumers have the ability to alter brand decisions. With such great influence and power, social media creates limitless opportunities for both consumers and brands. Too often for brands, however, the end game for their efforts is simply earning a certain number of likes, followers or views instead of the larger consumer connection.

Human connections range in the types and length of value they provide. Some connections can be short-lived while others are more sustained, and the level of impact can vary across both (think of the difference between someone handing you a flyer for a free cup of coffee vs. the barista who makes your coffee for you every morning). However, all meaningful connections, whether they occur in person or via social media, are grounded in value. So before brands start a new social program, revamp their Facebook page or extend a current campaign to the social space, they need to take a step back and examine their overall purpose and the value they can create.

As this was my first trip to CES, I was overwhelmed by many of the advancements and products displayed: GE’s Nucleus is an innovative tool that gives consumers the power to control their electricity consumption, Samsung’s newest refrigerator includes a screen where families can plan meals and calendars, and Sony’s glasses-free 3D TV is a step in the right direction to making 3D TV a more applicable part of everyday life. As intriguing as all of the displays were, I couldn’t help being under-whelmed by the lack of mobile opportunities to further connect with brands and products during the show.