1
Spring 2012
2
n=7,213
Extensive online survey created by Euro RSCG and
fielded by Market Probe International
Modern Life 2012
3
In the past, the future represented
our hopes and dreams…
4
…and technology was synonymous
with progress
Modern civilization depends on
science…Science is the pursuit above all which
impresses us with the capacity of man for
intellectual and moral progress and awakens the
human intellect to aspiration for a higher
condition of humanity.
—Joseph Henry, U.S. Physicist,1873
5
But today the idea of progress doesn’t
make us dream anymore…
6 in 10 global respondents believe
society is moving in the wrong direction
64% think we have
grown physically lazy
59% think we have
become intellectually lazy
6
69% worry about our loss of connection
to the natural world
52% worry that globalization is
homogenizing the world, wiping it
clean of its unique cultures
7
…and the future is associated with
anxiety and fear
76
68
76
70 78
73
I worry about the lack of sustainable forms of energy I’m concerned about the
world’s shortage/lack of clean water
I’m concerned about the
growing gap between the rich and poor
% Prosumers
% Mainstream
8
Technology has never been so vital…
I find it hard to be without my phone/mobile device
Being online improves my social life
Being online is one of
the few ways I have to express myself freely
55
42
55
37
52
41
% Prosumers
% Mainstream
9
…but our relationship with technology has changed
10
3 tensions are driving an evolution in the
human-technology relationship:
Share information and be visible
Protect one’s personal privacy
and reconnect with real life
Benefit from all the modern conveniences in our daily lives
Slow the pace and reconnect to a more natural life
Explain the world through math and science
Retain a world of faith and mystery
11
1. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LIVES/ INTIMACY IS A MIRAGE
2. MACHINE AND ORGANISM/ HYBRID IS OUR NEW NATURE
3. RATIONALITY AND MYSTERY/ IS HIGH-TECH A NEW RELIGION?
Technology blurs the lines between:
12
PRIVATE AND PUBLIC
LIVES/
INTIMACY IS A MIRAGE
13
The Internet has reversed the paradigm of
communication
Offline
Private by default. Public through effort.
Online
Public by default. Private through effort.
14
Widespread worry that young people are unable to
judge what is appropriate to share
I worry about the impact digital technology and social media are having on young people
Young people today have no sense of personal
privacy; they’re willing to post anything and everything about their lives online
15
“Right to be
forgotten”
law exists
only in
Europe and
is difficult to
enforce
Millennials are learning the hard way that the
Internet never forgets
Image credit: hyerstandard.com
16
Social media intrudes on our private lives…
33% of Americans and 40% of millennials know someone whose offline
romantic relationship ended because of things they’d done online (Euro RSCG Digital Love 2012 study)
Image credit: smartrelationshipadvice.com
17
Our digital lifestyles may even be causing
us to lose our human interconnectedness
68
I worry that digital communications are weakening human-to-human bonds
I worry about society’s lack of community/interconnectedness
I worry about society’s loss of face-to-face interaction
63
69
63
56
53
18
19
MACHINE AND
ORGANISM/
HYBRID IS OUR NEW
NATURE We shape our tools
and thereafter our
tools shape us.
Marshall McLuhan
Image credit: screenrant.com
20
Technology has brought phenomenal levels
of convenience and access
21
Computer algorithms anticipate our tastes and
inclinations—and make our experiences unique…
22
What happens to a society and to local
communities when each member
consumes a wholly customized diet of
news, information, entertainment, art,
and music?
Can shared values and visions remain in
the absence of shared experiences?
Leading us to ask…
23
RATIONALITY AND
MYSTICISM/
IS HIGH-TECH A NEW
RELIGION?
24
The term Google is searched for more than
God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Christianity,
Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism combined
Are the leading technology
brands our new gods?
25
Like the gods of many faiths, the Internet
is omnipresent and omniscient
26
The Internet is infinite and immortal
Every two days now we create
as much information as we did
from the dawn of civilization up
until 2003.
Eric Schmidt
27
Prosumers
84%
Being online helps keep me close to far away
family and friends.
Mainstream
61%
90/62 82/58 80/51 75/61 91/73
The Internet helps us build community…
28
A majority of respondents and 78% of Prosumers
intend to use social media more and more to
promote worthy causes (2010 Havas Social Business study)
29
…and holds the power of retribution
and punishment
30
The high-tech world even has its own
prophets and disciples
“Macintosh devotion, based on the
sacralization of the bond between
people and computers, functions as
an implicit religion. Its followers
envision a utopian future in which
humans and technology work
together in harmony. Furthermore, the
Mac enthusiasts adopted from both
Eastern and Western religions a social
form that emphasized personal
spirituality as well as communal
experience. The faith of Mac devotees
is reflected and strengthened by their
efforts in promoting their computer of
choice.”
Pui-Yan Lam
31
KEY TAKEWAYS FOR MARKETERS
32
#1: People are seeking to reestablish boundaries
between private and public, virtual and real
33
Privacy management services will be in
demand
34
There’s a market for social networking sites, like
Pinterest, focused on interests and passions
rather than individuals and popularity
35
#2: We need tips and advice as to how to use
technology properly
36
Software and
applications that
promote better use
of the Internet
37
Opportunities to break free…
38
#3: Consumers are weary of artificial, disposable
everything
39
63 71 67
52 45 47 41 40 40
50 57 54
I’m concerned about society’s
overconsumption
I think I would be happier if I
owned less stuff
I have wasted lots of money on
things I don’t really need
I’m tired of overconsumption;
I’m looking to scale back and
live more simply
40
A new way forward
% Prosumers
% Mainstream
I feel good about reducing the amount
of waste I create
Making environmentally friendly choices makes me
feel good
Most of us would be better off if we lived
more simply
41
The most valued products offer
deeper satisfactions and meaning
42
Smart
choices
about which
we can feel
good
43
Smarter Consumers = Smarter Social Funders
Brands can help
define what social
good really means
45
Seeking brand partners with a sense of purpose
46
#4: People are seeking to create a hybrid
existence that combines the best of old and new
47
digital + natural
Hand Carved Wood Cover for iPad
“Natural Dry Leaves” skin for iPhone
48
high-tech + communal
49
mindful + convenient
50
#5: Hungry for stability and certainty
51
Seeking reassurance…
52
53
…guidance…
54
…structure…
55
…and leadership
56
For more insights from Euro RSCG research—and to download the This
Digital Life white paper—visit www.prosumer-report.com
And follow us on Twitter (@prosumer_report)
57
_ 3: Stuck in Customs
_ 4: Stuck in Customs
_ 5: Stuck in Customs
_ 6: Stuck in Customs
_ 9: Stuck in Customs
_ 10: DeaPeaJay
_ 16: urbanartcorp.eu
_ 19: birgerking
_ 24: kikishua
_ 25: stripeybaz
_ 31: williamhartz
_ 36: lonelysandwich
_ 37: Stuck in Customs
_ 38: Kazamatsuri (Cult of Mac); myeyesee (magazine)
_ 39: ~Dezz~
_ 40: brionv
_ 41: choconancy1
_ 45: Kenski1970
_ 53: Michael Connell
_ 54: Polycart
_ 57: Thien Gretchen
_ 61: Stuck in Customs
_ 66: Eric Vandy
Select images courtesy of Creative Commons @flickr.com
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