“Today’s consumer is always ON, 24/7…let’s take a look at a typical day in the life of Beth”…I stumbled across this video by The Exchange Lab via Twitter – it’s a brand marketing company explaining how brands can better reach consumers.
“Beth is the consumer. She’s “always on and always connected”. Let’s take a look at a day in the life of Beth”
Beth wakes up using her phone as an alarm, scans through FB before getting out of bed, watches breakfast TV and does a quick weather check…on the bus she’s checking email on her tablet, over lunch she does virtual window shopping, in the evening she watches videos, picks up a few digital beauty tips, then TV and in the perfect end to her frantic digital day, she checks Facebook again in bed right before going to sleep. I’m sure there were more things Beth did digitally in her digitally busy day but my brain is blurred after watching her hectic life played out by the brand marketing company.
WOT?
To me this seems like insanity. Beth’s so-called always ON life is my idea of a nightmare and just watching the video made me feel slightly queasy.
Call me a dinosaur but my Atlantic blue Moleskine journal/planner arrived today so I can practice my handwriting instead of my typing.
I’m taking the weekend off to smell the flowers, read real books made from paper and get as far away from my laptop and phone as is physically possible without entering another country.
WE LIVE IN A FORMULA 1 WORLD
Maybe it’s my time in Morocco earlier this year, where things move more slowly and people actually talk to each other instead of texting, and the tiny minority can afford an iPhone. Yes Facebook is really popular there but teenagers aren’t glued to it. Even the food is slow. Tajines take forever to cook and argan oil takes longer than forever to harvest and produce. And there isn’t a McDonald’s to be found within 200 km of Essaouira although there is one in Marrakech.
We live in a Formula 1 world in London, New York, Rome and Paris (fill in city here) and I think we’re going to pay a price if we don’t get off the whizzing hamster wheel soon – health wise and mentally, and possibly also emotionally.
TAKE IT SLOW, LET IT GO
Yes, there are so many advantages to social media and living in a digital world, but I predict and if I’m honest, am secretly hoping for a backlash. It’s already starting to happen – there are luxury resorts in the States where you check your iPhone in at reception and don’t see it until you check out, where there’s no WiFi and you pay for the privilege of switching off.
We’ve had Slow Food, Slow Beauty and it looks like the Slow Life movement has already started.
After a week of horrendous deadlines, too much to do in too little time, I’m going to sit down this weekend and find a way to change my days. And I’m not even a mum!
Get me onto the Slow Life bandwagon please (pulled by a very slow donkey) because I don’t want to wake up one day and realise I’ve spent the second half of my life in a virtual, digital world, even if it is part of what I do.
I saw something today predicting a 40% increase in loneliness by 2030 because elderly people are getting more and more isolated because of the internet.
So have I joined the old bag/Luddite club, is there a sweet spot in between, or do you think our fast-paced digital world is a good thing?
I’d love to hear what you think! x