1. Spring 2012
1

2. Modern Life 2012
n=7,213
Extensive online survey created by Euro RSCG and
fielded by Market Probe International
2

3. In the past, the future represented
our hopes and dreams…
3

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
4

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
5

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
6

7. …and the future is associated with
anxiety and fear 76
76 70
68 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
7

8. Technology has never been so vital…
I find it hard to be
without my Being online Being online is one of
phone/mobile improves my the few ways I have to
device social life express myself freely
55 55 52
42 41
37
% Prosumers
% Mainstream
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9. …but our relationship with technology has changed
9

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 Slow the pace and reconnect to a
conveniences in our daily lives more natural life
Explain the world through math Retain a world of faith and
and science mystery
10

11. Technology blurs the lines between:
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?
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12. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC
LIVES/
INTIMACY IS A MIRAGE
12

13. The Internet has reversed the paradigm of
communication
Offline
Private by default. Public through effort.
Online
Public by default. Private through effort.
13

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

14

15. Millennials are learning the hard way that the
Internet never forgets
“Right to be
forgotten”
law exists
only in
Europe and
is difficult to
enforce
Image credit: hyerstandard.com 15

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 16

17. Our digital lifestyles may even be causing
us to lose our human interconnectedness
53
I worry that digital communications are
weakening human-to-human bonds
56
63
I worry about society’s lack of
community/interconnectedness
69
63
I worry about society’s loss of
face-to-face interaction
68
17

18. 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
19

20. Technology has brought phenomenal levels
of convenience and access
20

21. Computer algorithms anticipate our tastes and
inclinations—and make our experiences unique…
21

22. Leading us to ask…
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?
22

23. RATIONALITY AND
MYSTICISM/
IS HIGH-TECH A NEW
RELIGION?
23

24. Are the leading technology
brands our new gods?
The term Google is searched for more than
God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Christianity,
Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism combined
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25. Like the gods of many faiths, the Internet
is omnipresent and omniscient
25

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
26

27. The Internet helps us build community…
Prosumers Being online helps keep Mainstream
me close to far away
84% family and friends.
61%
90/62 82/58 80/51 75/61 91/73
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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)
28

29. …and holds the power of retribution
and punishment
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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
30

31. KEY TAKEWAYS FOR MARKETERS
31

32. #1: People are seeking to reestablish boundaries
between private and public, virtual and real
32

33. Privacy management services will be in
demand
33

34. There’s a market for social networking sites, like
Pinterest, focused on interests and passions
rather than individuals and popularity
34

35. #2: We need tips and advice as to how to use
technology properly
35

36. Software and
applications that
promote better use
of the Internet
36

37. Opportunities to break free…
37

38. #3: Consumers are weary of artificial, disposable
everything
38

39. 63 67 71 50 54 57
I’m tired of overconsumption;
I’m concerned about society’s
I’m looking to scale back and
overconsumption
live more simply
52 47 45 41 40 40
I have wasted lots of money on I think I would be happier if I
things I don’t really need owned less stuff
39

40. A new way forward
I feel good about Making environmentally Most of us would be
reducing the amount friendly choices makes me better off if we lived
of waste I create feel good more simply
% Prosumers
% Mainstream
40

41. The most valued products offer
deeper satisfactions and meaning
41

42. Smart
choices
about which
we can feel
good
42

43. Smarter Consumers = Smarter Social Funders
43

44. Brands can help
define what social
good really means

45. Seeking brand partners with a sense of purpose
45

46. #4: People are seeking to create a hybrid
existence that combines the best of old and new
46

47. digital + natural
Hand Carved Wood Cover for iPad
“Natural Dry Leaves” skin for iPhone
47

48. high-tech + communal
48

49. mindful + convenient
49

50. #5: Hungry for stability and certainty
50

51. Seeking reassurance…
51

52. 52

53. …guidance…
53

54. …structure…
54

55. …and leadership
55

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)
56

57. Select images courtesy of Creative Commons @flickr.com
_ 3: Stuck in Customs _ 37: Stuck in Customs
_ 4: Stuck in Customs _ 38: Kazamatsuri (Cult of Mac);
myeyesee (magazine)
_ 5: Stuck in Customs
_ 39: ~Dezz~
_ 6: Stuck in Customs
_ 40: brionv
_ 9: Stuck in Customs
_ 41: choconancy1
_ 10: DeaPeaJay
_ 45: Kenski1970
_ 16: urbanartcorp.eu
_ 53: Michael Connell
_ 19: birgerking
_ 54: Polycart
_ 24: kikishua
_ 57: Thien Gretchen
_ 25: stripeybaz
_ 61: Stuck in Customs
_ 31: williamhartz
_ 66: Eric Vandy
_ 36: lonelysandwich
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