We are more connected to our phones than ever before. Constantly checking to make sure we’re not missing anything (even if it’s not beeping or vibrating or ringing). It’s the last thing we check before bed and the first thing when we wake up. And yes, many of us are finding it easy to do since we’re increasingly sleeping with our phones. I almost had a heart attack last month when I left my phone in the supermarket by mistake. Some nice lady let me borrow her phone so I could run around the aisles dialing my number until I heard it quack. Phew. I realized at that moment that I am an addict. Always connected.

I am constantly in touch and have so many ways to communicate; it’s hard to keep up. Text, WhatsApp, email, Skype, FaceTime, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc. All in their silos. Each one with its own rules.

While there are more ways for us to communicate than ever before, this is also a huge issue. It’s harder than ever to get someone’s attention. Before email and cell phones, there was only one way to have a two-way conversation – the landline telephone. Often attached to the wall. Now we are always on. We can communicate with anyone anywhere in real time using any number of ways. We are no longer dependent on voice calls since we can now see each other while we’re talking. We can even broadcast live.

The intermediaries are gone. Everyone can be a “radio” or “TV” star. But there’s a rub. With access to the technology, there are more eyeballs. But they’re no longer staring at the TV. Their attention is on multiple screens and multiple channels. So the battle is no longer about getting your 5 minutes of fame, those who can get and hold people’s attention will win the war. But it won’t last because the shiny new thing is right around the corner. Just wait until AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) are widely available…