Shauna Moerke is…

… alternatively this post could be titled “I swear I don’t have a problem”.

One of the first things I do when I wake up in the morning is to check my phone. I don’t even think about it anymore, I’m doing it practically before my eyes are fully open. I have near instant access to email (from multiple accounts) and texts. If I’m in the car driving and get a call, I’ll probably answer it. As I walk into Starbucks the phone is already in my hand so that I can check into Foursquare. Hell, part of this post was composed on my phone while in line this morning at Starbucks. I’m almost always logged into Google Talk on my phone, even when I’m at home and next to my computer. Let’s be honest, Google might as well own my soul for all that I rely on their products: Google Search, Email, Reader, Calendar, Analytics, Documents, Alerts, and Blogger just to name a few and practically all of them accessible from my phone. If I’m bored, I can access games, news, blogs, and even stream music and video. I’m so into Twitter I speak in #hashtags. I maintain multiple blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and, my newest addition, LinkedIn groups. While I would never be on my phone in certain places, like movie theaters, I’m still using it right up to the last minute and back on it the first second I can. And I hate to admit it, but even when out with family or friends I’m still checking my phone frequently. And I could go on. I’m what you could call “Uber Connected”. And it’s so easy too!

Scared? Think I’m a little nuts? The Husband even joked that I might be addicted. At least I think he was joking. Are you convinced that in no way is this behavior normal? Eh, I wouldn’t be too sure of that. Even if the majority of people aren’t as connected as me, it’s not by that much of a majority and it’s shrinking every day. Cheaper, smaller, and more capable computers and smart phones plus better access to the internet is creating a new “normal”. For example, back in 1998 I got my first cell phone. It wasn’t much (no texting even!) but I remember thinking how cool it was that people could get a hold of me when I wasn’t home. Flash forward 12 years, my phone is practically surgically attached and I don’t even have a landline anymore. My phone is now one of the main ways I stay connected to and interact with the outside world. What does this all mean? It means the old rules no longer apply cause baby, the future is now! Even planes have WiFi these days. This means that the way we live, work and perceive the world around us must change too. I’m not advocating jumping on every new technological bandwagon that comes along or letting technology serve as a cheap substitute for tangible human interaction. However, dismissing the changes that are happening every day all around you out of fear and complacency will only serve to stifle your development as a person or a company. There is no “normal” anymore because “normal” just changes too fast.