The 2nd screen was the TV the entire time.

When I was younger—everyone was obsessed with the “second screen.” The idea was that the TV was your first screen, and your phone, tablet, or laptop was your second. Startups were built, apps were designed, entire strategies developed: we needed to create experiences to monetize for that second screen while we sat in front of the TV.

But here’s the thing: the second screen was the television the whole time.

Now, we’re living in a world where our phones are our first screen. And the TV? It’s just on in the background. We don’t watch it, not really. It’s the passive screen, filling space and sound while we scroll through our phones.

The TV, the old first screen, has slipped into the background, always on, always there, but no longer center stage even though most American households have an entire room dedicated to the watching of TV. It demonstrates how powerful social media has become.

Where’s my social media room?….oh—right—it’s the entire world.