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