According to the New York Times, society is using devices earlier and earlier in the day, with many Americans checking their messages before they even get out of bed.
It's not just anecdotal evidence, though: the newspaper cites stats showing that while ISPs used to see a traffic jolt at the beginning of the work day, the surge now starts as early as 6 or 7am. What's more, the trend is accelerating:
Arbor Networks, a Boston company that analyzes Internet use, says that Web traffic in the United States gradually declines from midnight to around 6 a.m. on the East Coast and then gets a huge morning caffeine jolt. “It’s a rocket ship that takes off at 7 a.m,” said Craig Labovitz, Arbor’s chief scientist.
Akamai, which helps sites like Facebook and Amazon keep up with visitor demand, says traffic takes off even earlier, at around 6 a.m. on the East Coast. Verizon Wireless reported the number of text messages sent between 7 and 10 a.m. jumped by 50 percent in July, compared with a year earlier.
What do you do first thing in the morning: grab breakfast, get dressed...or power up one of your devices before your day has even begun? Let us know in the comments.