Instant gratification & double screening

I was at the cinema recently and as normal I was struck by the amount of double screening. The number of phones in use throughout the film was phenomenal. Now the film in question was great. The film was not the usual mindless Hollywood blockbuster. Instead, a title a bit more heartfelt, a bit grittier. What’s the relevance?

Emotional avoidance

I found that the times when the cinema lit up with people using their phones were the emotional parts. The parts that really needed the cinema-goer to listen in order to get the full impact of what was being said.

Let’s think for a second about the changing habits of television. It no longer seems enough for us to just watch a show at home. We now seem the need to use our?tablet or laptop whilst watching a show. It’s almost as if the passive medium is not enough. Instead, we must feel we are participating in some shape or form. The whole notion of ‘double screening’ is actually encouraged with some children’s TV, by starting to build participation via an added screen whether that be smartphone or tablet.

Double screening and instant gratification

Phone notifications are likened to those of a gambling machine.

It seems that when we feel the tension gets too much we reach to our phones for a serotonin fix. Or to put it another way: Instant gratification.

The popularisation of smartphones has led to us all being so reliant on the relentless serotonin hits they provide (constantly checking until we get a notification). that we are seeking the instant gratification they provide in all walks of life.

Looking at my blog on psychalive I was ignorant to the hold my smartphone had on me until I tried without it for three days.

What effect does our quest for instant gratification have on us all? I can see an inability to concentrate, distancing ourselves from our emotions and the constant need for approval and excitement.

Do you double screen? Let me know.

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