Are you one of the growing number of ‘second screen’ television viewers? For all too many of us, it seems that watching one screen just isn’t enough; modern technology and, in particular, our obsession with looking at our phones has so addled our brains that plenty of us fiddle with our mobiles while ostensibly ‘watching’ TV. Two thirds of people watching TV now do so while browsing their mobile phones, according to a study in the United States.
Being glued to our phones certainly ruins the magic of television
It’s tempting to react to this news with Olympian disdain; what has happened to people that they need two screens to keep themselves amused? But feeling smug and pious isn’t an option for me; I’m as guilty of ‘two screening’ as the next addict. The impulse to check one’s email or social feeds while watching TV, or doing almost anything else, including going to the toilet, is almost impossible to resist.
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