Don’t worry there is no need to phone your loved ones or start writing your will just yet. Phantom Pocket Vibration Syndrome is not at all life threatening, and I am not sure you will be able to call in sick and have a few days off work, sigh. However, have you ever felt your phone vibrate in your pocket and then grabbed it out bursting with excitement to read your message or answer your call, only then to find that there is nothing? Not even an email or a social media notification? Well that is Phantom Pocket Vibration Syndrome. Quick, call the doctor…I’ve got PPVS!
This sensation where you are sure that you felt it vibrate or heard it ring is now a very common thing in this modern day world we live in. Dr. Michelle Drouin, a professor at Indiana University, found that 89% of her students experience these phantom vibrations about every two weeks.
So apart from the “well my phone is obviously broke because it definitely vibrated” why else are we experiencing these vibrations? The mobile phone is now the most popular form of communication and the text message is the most popular channel for this, so is it that we are just willing and wishing to receive a message? Or is it more a fear of missing out on the latest gossip or joke with our friends and peers?
Larry Rosen a Professor of Psychology at California State University has stated that,
“Our body is always in waiting to anticipate any kind of technological interaction, which usually comes from a smartphone. With that anticipatory anxiety, if we get any neurological stimulation, our pants rubbing against our leg for example, you might interpret that through the veil of anxiety, as “Oh, my phone is vibrating.”
For better or for worse this whole ‘syndrome’ shows how dependent and important mobile technology is to us. It shows how popular it has become and how we are wanting and wishing to communicate. Nokia research shows that people are looking at their phones 150 times a day. Whether these are down to phantom or genuine vibrations we don’t know. What we do know is, people want to communicate via text message.
In this fast paced world we live in people have lost patience, they want to be heard, get details, offers and information instantly and conveniently. The media are now delivering news as it happens through Twitter and other platforms giving people instant information. This means that businesses that are using mobile marketing are achieving this for their customers and are reaping the rewards. Retail companies are texting their customers to let them know that their package will arrive within 15 minutes, recruitment companies are texting job offers and appointment times to hopeful candidates. Restaurants are letting their customers know their latest deal and health professionals are saving money by reducing the amount of no-shows by sending appointment reminders.
Businesses of all kinds and from all over the world are now realising the power of mobile marketing, and that sending their customers a text is cost effective, quick and convenient for both parties. Sign up now for free and try it for yourself.