the cult of the now - rethinking digital marketing
DESCRIPTION
Every moment of every day is now pregnant with the possibility of new information – devices are persistently within reach 24 hours a day, chirping for our attention. When the call comes, we instinctively respond – so much so that the average person now consumes up to 75 gigabytes of media every day and switches applications 36 times every hour. The net affect of rabid information consumption and multitasking is not only distracting, it is also now proven to be literally rewiring our brains. But what value does immediate information bring? What is so important that it has the power to interrupt our workflow, our personal conversations, our intimate moments? We’re constantly being told that our attention is valuable – so why are we throwing it away? As individuals, we have the power to say ‘no’ – if only we would. As digital designers, writers, developers and producers, we have the power to change the paradigm – if only we would. In this deFrost* talk, Stuart Buchanan, Director of The Nest and Head of Digital for The Frost*Group, campaigns for the dissolution of The Cult of The Now, for a connected experience that celebrates relevancy not immediacy, and looks at practical ways in which we can bring focus to our digital lives.TRANSCRIPT
Start at the beginning.!
Friendship, family, companionship - life is an infinite web of connections. They are the building blocks of our DNA.!!
Human connections are complex, muddy, often beautiful, often fraught. Online connections are curated, chosen, edited, retouched. !!
How do we discern whether one connection is more valuable than another?!
Which connections further love and friendship, and which are driven by status, recognition, fame, prestige and attention?!!
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
“A flight from conversation can compromise our capacity for self-reflection.”!!Sherry Turkle, MIT !
What is missing in human connections that we favour online connections instead?!!
Number of devices connected to IP networks will be three times the global population by 2016.!!
Our brains are being rewired to favour short interactions over long interactions.
How do counter this as individuals?!Ask yourself, what is valuable to you?!
An Information Diet requires “conscious consumption, planning and sharpened skills.”!
Choose platforms wisely - in their raw state, social media platforms are simply blunt instruments.
Seek spaces of refuge - both temporal and physical. Learn to be bored.!
Are you part of the problem? Ask yourself, what is valuable to everyone else?!!
Pay more attention to the point and purpose of what you are doing.
“Is now a good time?” Are you just interrupting someone, or are you actually doing something valuable?!
Do we need more choices? Expand, expound and deepen experiences with actions and context.!!
Be strategic about developing content - have a strategy, a narrative. Make people want to turn the page.
Do we need to get it all right, right now? Will the future solve the problem for us?
The end of the beginning. !
wearethenest.com. stuartbuchanan.com.!!Images from Flickr Creative Commons (in order of presentation) michellerlee, seranyaphotography, caiosz, jrparis, nervsappy, carsten_tb, nest, uicdigital, stefz, blackbiscuits, qiaomeng, luigi9555, arselectronica, aagius, davidyuweb, donbrubacher, jamelah, oflittleinterest, damaradeaella