The Power of One
Burson-Marsteller

• The rise of social networking over recent years and the internet over a longer period, has seen a concurrent rise in lone communication. Keeping in touch with friends does not necessarily need to be made face to face or in groups - each user is alone with his or her computer.
• The mobile phone has perhaps been the prime modern cause of this solo communication, however. Texting and the ease with which conversations can be cut down to 'txt spk' has meant that the need to physically interact with others has been dramatically reduced.
• We are becoming more and more accustomed to being alone - but with the rise of digital entertainment and the ease with which we can travel the world in our second lives online, being lonely does not have to mean being bored.

• The slowdown in growth of the global population has been matched by a growth in the number of households - meaning that more people are living alone.
• According to the UK Office for National Statistics, as people marry later and live longer, the number of single person households is expected to increase by over 2 million within the next 10 years - on top of the seven and a half million who are already living alone.

• A new label - Freemale - has been given to a certain type of woman - those who are happy without a man. According to the ONS, only 25% of women live with a partner.
• There is also the seemingly unavoidable fact that women outlive men. The widowed demographic is one that should not be ignored - with men in the West dying around four years earlier than women, on average. This female-heavy market is ripe for brands and companies to tap into.

• Overall being single is no longer perceived as a depressing fate - a la Bridget Jones - but as more of an active lifestyle choice.
• A group called Quirkyalone has been set up in the US for Singletons or people with "singleton attitudes". The members of the group are not opposed to being in a couple but they are happier alone than in an unhappy relationship.
• The media agency Carat did some research on the topic of Singletons. The research revealed that when asked what one thing would improve their lives, only one in six Singletons said "finding a partner" compared to a third who answered "a large sum of money"; 60% of those surveyed believe that single people are as happy as couples. Respondents mentioned the following upsides to being single : having more time to spend on hobbies (76%), being more spontaneous (62%) and having more close friends (53%).