Digital Divorcees on  the Horizon – What’s our Plan B?

The digital wave has engulfed the humanity.  Our life, work, business – every aspect is impacted.  The way we ‘meet’ our friends, family and colleagues, the way we learn, date, break up, shop, pay our bills, make ourselves heard to the world, navigate the seas, skies and roads, all aspects, except the basic functions that our body performs of sleeping, eating and passing out, have been impacted.  We are in the middle of a dense digital forest. 

A fallout – you are always being followed.  If you searched for Dom Pérignon on the net, next minute and for the next many months your browser will resemble a mini bar, whatever window you may be on – mail, chat, news site, or just about any webpage.  A friend got the shock of his life when he checked the dictionary app on his smartphone for the meaning of the word ‘gigolo’ and the next minute gigolo job offers from his area started pouring into his inbox.  

It’s a bit creepy actually. 

You are never alone. You never have your own space.  No privacy.  In the last few months itself we have witnessed mishaps of ‘cloud-secured’ data from years back leaking out and causing so much celebrity embarrassment.

Another fallout – people are already seeking islands of digital isolation.  Where at one time it was fashionable to stay connected anytime anywhere, many people today consider it ultra-luxury to be able to digitally disconnect from the rest of the world and enjoy a time and space where no one can reach or watch them.  These are usually people who are at the advanced end of the digital evolution spectrum – from leading the pack of digital savvies at one point to reaching a point of overkill and boredom from all things digital.  Going off social media sites, disabling cookies, following phone switch-off routines are initial symptoms of such people. This population is tiny at the moment but is gradually growing and can certainly not be ignored.  They may have no business impact at the moment but will certainly be relevant in another 5 years, which, in digital chronicle years, could well be the equivalent of 50 business years.  

What is our marketing strategy for these ‘digital divorcees’?

In our obsession to maximize our digital impact shouldn’t we pause and think of a world which might slowly be dominated by these digital divorcees?