Screen Time: What Is It?
Today’s word is, “Screen Time.” Can you say “Screen Time?”
Jokes aside, can you define “Screen Time?” And if you can define it, do you know how “Screen Time” affects social media algorithms or why it matters to you? Heads up, that was the last time I’ll put screen time in quotes or capitalize it.
Let’s start at the beginning. Webster’s dictionary defines screen time as: The amount of time someone spends using a device with a screen, such as a smartphone, tablet, computer or television. Pretty self-explanatory, right? Screen time is the amount of time spent looking at a screen.
But let’s take it a step further. If I told you that each app and website you visit in a day is tracking the screen time you devote to their individual outlet, would you believe me? Well you should because this has been common practice for a long time. In fact, mobile devices typically do this internally and then forward the data to app developers. Here’s a five-year-old article about app tracking if you’d like a source, but again, this is common knowledge.
So why does that matter? And why should you, beyond trying to limit your own digital usage, care about screen time? Here’s the simple answer: screen time equals value.
See when social media companies sell ads, they need a way to quantify value to their ad partners. If Company A wants to purchase an ad on Social Media F, how can Social Media F guarantee that Company A’s ad will be seen? And how can they quantify how many times it will be seen? Social media ads aren’t like newspapers or magazines that have defined subscriber numbers. They also aren’t like television ads, which use viewer ratings as a standard. Social media ads are quantified by, say it with me now, screen time.
Sure, you might see the word “impression(s)” thrown around. But what is an “impression” if not a single instance of screen time? Long story short, social media companies use screen time to define the value of their service. Because social media companies are companies, their goal must then be to increase that value. If screen time equals value, then to raise value, they need to raise screen time.
Enter “The Algorithm,” an omnipresent, omniscient, ethereal force that seemingly dictates everything we see. Social media companies use algorithms to increase screen time to increase value, but that’s a story for tomorrow’s blog.
Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end! Here’s the takeaway: screen time equals value. Keep that in mind while you’re scrolling today. To what are you adding value by dedicating your screen time?
See you tomorrow!
-MC
This article is the first in a series of blog posts about Screen Time. If you missed the announcement of this series, you can read it here. 