My answer to that question is somewhat complicated and depends on what I happen to be doing at any given moment. If I’m trying to initiate conversation with my teenage daughter (who I feel certain wasn’t actually born with a smartphone in her hand but is now somehow never without one), I could be inclined to answer in the affirmative. However, if I’m juggling multiple projects while working against a deadline or trying to do my taxes online while listening to Pandora on my phone and battling said daughter in Trivia Crack, I would probably say no—it’s perfectly acceptable to be completely “plugged in” in this day and age.

I guess the real answer is: Yeah, pretty much. But that’s not a bad thing. Beyond the entertainment value of electronic devices like computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets, they actually make our lives easier (i.e., more productive and efficient). Automation in industrial applications would be impossible without electronics, and strides for medical applications alone have surely impacted all of our lives in a positive way. Planes, trains, automobiles, work, home and play—electronics impact every aspect of our lives.

The truth of the matter is that electronics are only going to become even more prevalent, providing benefits we haven’t yet dreamed of and generating ever-increasing opportunities for adhesives and sealants. We’re covering end uses of adhesives and sealants in electronics applications in our Adhesives at Work: Electronics section in this issue, as well as our special ASI End User Digital Edition (set to deploy mid-month). Is your company tapping into this exciting market, or are you an end user in the electronics field? I’d love to hear about your take on our electronics dependency. Please contact me at (248) 786-1704 or suttons@bnpmedia.com to share your thoughts.

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