I was recently on a vacation in the Caribbean. I should’ve been enjoying beautiful views of white sand and the clear water, but instead, I was glancing down at my phone. When I looked up, it was clear my girlfriend was about to backhand me. She thought she’d gotten away from all this since, you know, we were 3,500 miles from home.

I blamed it on being competitive. You see, the bride and groom of the wedding we were attending in Anguilla were using Eventstagr.am (which I highly recommend) to compile a photo slideshow of attendees’ experiences on the island. By using hashtags and posting on Instagram, people could be included in the wedding slideshow and participate in a scavenger hunt, with photos proving you completed certain tasks. So, I had to be on my phone – snapping and editing photos, writing clever hashtags, responding to comments – or else we’d lose the game.

Well, my girlfriend didn’t buy it – she’s too smart for that – but it turns out I’m not alone with my addiction to devices and social networks. Harris Interactive recently conducted an online survey for MyLife.com of more than 2,000 adults, and some of the results, which can be seen in this infographic, were eye-popping:

• 56 percent of participants said they are afraid of missing out on events, news and important status updates if they’re away from their social networks.
• 27 percent of participants said they flock to social sites as soon as they wake up.

That means conversations about companies and brands are happening all of the time, whether they’re listening and engaging or not. Since consumers feel they can’t afford to miss out on news, updates and events, marketing executives and brand managers can’t afford to miss out on the opportunity to reach consumers where they are. While constant social media monitoring and engagement may seem like a daunting task, the benefits of being part of the conversation and building relationships are worth the time and effort.

At NST, we help our clients cut through the clutter and build relationships with their customers – online and in-person – so they can best meet their business objectives. We like to think this allows them to relax a little easier.