Being mobile hasn't always been glamorous

According to a new study by Initiative, 60% of mobile Web use is taking place at home. As reported by MediaPost, this means that our smartphones are becoming “closer to the promise of being ‘always on’ devices.”

What is more interesting to me is that the study reports that 50% of the respondents reported using mobile Web while watching TV or listening to the radio, 39% while using Internet on their computer, and 34% while reading newspapers and magazines. Due to this, Initiative concludes “that marketers can use mobile to amplify messaging in other media.”

People are also demanding to do more on their phones than in the past, including shopping – Forrester Research predicts retail sales through mobile phones to hit $1.5 billion this year. As people increasingly change the way that they use mobile Web, the new habit of multi-tasking media consumption will impact how companies reach their target consumers.

How are you using your smartphone – as an ‘always on’ device, or for work purposes only?

This isn't helping anything...

The New York Times revealed this week that excessive use of the Internet may be playing a role in changing people’s personalities and “can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and even more narcissistic.” It is also being tied to increased stress and a decrease in our ability to concentrate.

Given this, I will now blame my slight road rage, which is always tied to impatience in driving situations, on my exposure to the Internet in all of its forms during almost every waking hour of the day. And although I’ve never almost missed a million dollar sale thanks to my Internet overload, I’ve responded to emails on vacation and have had people in my life complain about my level of online activity outside of work.

But has my Internet use truly changed my personality and ability to function?

There are a couple of fun, interactive tests on NYTimes.com to test your ability to multitask and how easily you become distracted when trying to focus. As someone who is constantly multitasking, I took the tests and was surprised to find that my abilities were a bit lower than I’d expected.

Many are saying this is just yet another warning about the use of technology in society, which come up from time to time and go back as far as Socrates. As Slate points out:

Worries about information overload are as old as information itself, with each generation reimagining the dangerous impacts of technology on mind and brain. From a historical perspective, what strikes home is not the evolution of these social concerns, but their similarity from one century to the next, to the point where they arrive anew with little having changed except the label.

What do you think – has the Internet changed your personality? Or can you regulate your activity so that you remain unchanged?

Prost to a great idea!

As we discussed earlier this week, the recent iPhone mystery has been the subject of much speculation – and a TON of media coverage. Since then, one genius airline has found a way to insert their latest service into a seemingly unrelated conversation.

Lufthansa has invited Gray Powell, the now infamous iPhone ‘loser,’ to come to Munich and experience their new Bavarian Beer Garden Business Lounge on a free business class flight. The letter, posted on Twitter and sent to Gawker’s ValleyWag, pokes fun at the recent news stating ‘we thought you could use a break soon,’ noting his ‘passion for German beer,’ and acknowledging that it can be frustrating to lose unique personal belongings (the understatement of the year, according to PC World).

This invitation to Powell cost absolutely nothing for the company to send, and in the unlikely case that he takes them up on this offer, will end up costing only a few thousand dollars. The value of the top tier media coverage that this invitation has received from outlets such as CBS News and NPR, however, and the additional coverage if Powell does end up partying in the Bavarian Beer Garden Business Lounge, could be considered priceless.

As the airline industry continues to face challenges daily, and evolve their online marketing, it is refreshing to see Lufthansa make this creative move. In the words of one ValleyWag commenter, well played, Lufthansa.

How to Program a Message on Your MEDEA Bottle from Medea Spirits on Vimeo

While the rest of the world is spending their time being fascinated by the launch of the iPad, I’m in awe of what has become the latest Internet phenomenon – Conan O’Brien.

I’ll admit, I was one of the millions of fans that were depressed when Conan went off the air in January. Since then, an amazing online campaign has taken over and propelled Conan, or Coco as many fans so adoringly refer to him, perhaps somewhat unwillingly into the world of online marketing and social media – a completely new space for someone that didn’t even own his own Web site name.

Starting with the ‘I’m With Coco’ Facebook fan page, created by fans to rally support for Conan O’Brien during the NBC battles over The Tonight Show, Conan’s online presence has now expanded to include TeamCoco.com and Conan himself is even on Twitter with a verified account, regularly tweeting jokes and funny commentary. He wasn’t already a social media obsessed celebrity – for him, this is a whole new world.

Why do I find this fascinating? Since leaving NBC, it almost seems that Conan’s popularity and audience has been able to grow rather than dwindle, due to ‘Team Coco’ embracing the technology of social media and the Internet. No advertising has been purchased to promote his upcoming 30-city ‘Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television’ tour, which starts next week.

As many speculate about which network Conan may eventually land on for his next gig, for now it will be interesting to watch his fan base continue to grow as he moves from city to city, using technology and the Internet in a groundbreaking way for a guy that is now just a stand-up comedian on tour.

It seems we are a nation obsessed. In a recent study by Retrevo Gadgetology, people admit that their social media obsession has caused them to interrupt meals, using the bathroom, and even intimacy, to check a message. A staggering 48% of the people surveyed also report they update Facebook or Twitter during the night, or as soon as they wake up. Yikes.

As PR professionals, we’re engaged in social media throughout the day and night, on behalf our clients as well as our own personal accounts.  And although CNET may not be too surprised about these results, I am. Even on days when I feel as if I’m living and breathing social media, I consider myself to be less obsessed than the majority of the survey respondents. So, I have nothing to worry about, right?

Well, apparently heavy use of social media could also make me depressed, as was found in a February study in the UK, as reported by Computerworld. Luckily, the popularity of Tweet-ups in Seattle can serve to off-set any lack of personal interaction that could come as a result of my social media activity, if I start to worry…

What do you think – has your use of social media as a PR pro, or otherwise, significantly changed any of your daily life habits?

Our pal Aarti Shah has been roaming the great Pacific Northwest over the past several days. Aarti is the Bay Area bureau chief for PRWeek, but her beat extends well beyond Silicon Valley. She covers the technology beat for the PR industry’s leading trade publication and was in Seattle to visit with MWW Group and several other Brand-X agencies.

While she doesn’t cover technology exclusively, Aarti is one of those reporters who understands the challenges of 21st Century tech PR. She listens well, asks tough questions, works hard to break stories and isn’t shy about calling for a timeout when some flak starts to max out her BS meter. But she also understands that the best reporting usually results from well-developed relationships, rather than pushing an agenda or asking a million questions. Last night was a great example of that.

We spent time chatting about various topics over dinner and wine at Purple in downtown Seattle. We only talked shop for a couple of minutes — traded a few rumors, dished some gossip, and so on. Sometime, somewhere, Aarti and I will have some news to talk about, and the relationship will be there to ensure that we both make the most of that opportunity.

Okay, so it has been for a while… but this time we really mean it! Stay tuned for ridiculously fascinating observations about the world of PR in the 21st century.