Netflix’s The Social Dilemma assembled a staggering ensemble of leaders in the technology industry to examine the effect social networking has on society. For those that have yet to see it, please do. It is enormously enlightening (read frightening). It raises many questions about the future development of our global community, and our ability to healthily include technology in our day-to-day lives. Let’s discuss some of them.

How many hours do you spend looking at your screen per day? When was the last time you spent more than an hour without checking your social networks or emails? Is your phone the last thing you look at before bed, and the first thing you see when you open your eyes in the morning?

The answers to these questions are likely alarming for most. While the use of technology has allowed us to become more connected than ever before and paved the way toward valuable leaps in information accessibility and ease of living, we’re finding more and more of our time is devoted to staring at our screens. That means more time carelessly scrolling, sending emojis, composing selfies, and sharing content rather than living in the present moment. So how big of a problem is this?

For our mental health? A big one. Studies show that depression and anxiety are on the rise, especially for members of Generation Z who mostly have been raised with smartphones in their hands. Suicide and self-harm rates are climbing and the prevalence of social apps has been left with a smoking gun in hand. The psychological underpinnings of social platform development are highly addicting, and they were purposely designed that way.

For advertisers? This offers a major opportunity. Let us be very clear. We are not evil. Nor are the developers of these platforms. We are merely using the tools we have been given to effectively reach relevant audiences with relevant products, helping our clients to efficiently boost sales, traffic and brand awareness in the places their target consumers are already spending a majority of their time. We will continue to do our very best for our clients to ensure that consumers can be introduced to ideas, products and services that will improve their lives, not hurt them.

Do we think you should be more careful with your screen time? It’s our moral obligation to say yes. We’re working on it, too. In a work-and-study-from-home society that we’ve adopted during this global pandemic, a trend that is likely going to continue for years to come, we must stay vigilant to ensure we give our eyes a break from our screens and remember to stay focused on the real world around us. 

We wish you all luck, and we’ll catch you with a highly targeted sponsored post soon.