Yes, I know you’re thinking, what casualties could there possibly be in the virtual world? Well my friends, that’s just it … your friends as the digital revolution continues to take its toll on our real life communities. Many of us, not just millennials, have been swept up in our culture of constant connectivity which ironically has effected our ability to connect. Human interaction of the physical kind, where people come together outside of the digital space, has suffered. Today we find it easier to send a text than make a call, we rely on Facebook to keep tabs on our friends and we prefer virtual communities to those of flesh and blood. Is it laziness, or just the opposite, that we're just too damn busy! I wish I knew for sure, but I would guess it's a little bit of both.
In this article from our friends at Fast Company, a millennial explores his perspective on plugging in and out our digital world. He's conflicted, and I would argue so are all of us. Companies, and not just individuals are also trying to address this phenomenon with their efforts to push for more spontaneous interactions, the kind that promote creativity and collaboration. Some are accomplishing this through open floor plans, or others, like in case of Zappos, are designing whole buildings in such a way that entrances and exits require people to literally run into each other. Crazy efforts to promote something that used to come so natural.
It's because of this, that I believe strongly in creating initiatives that foster both a digital and physical experience where one both feeds and fuels the other. This is after-all how we exist, we create and live in our physical and digital worlds. I personally have seen some of the most successful executions whether in the marketing, or cultural spaces result from this perfect union where initiatives that start in the physical world are then amplified in the digital one, or vice versa. I believe this is the way to foster stronger communities of both the physical and digital kind. These experiences create a lasting impact by actively involving audiences on multiple levels. Smirnoff did this with their Night Life Exchange, where a city's nightlife was crowd sourced online and then shipped to a sister city for a real life party. The Cleveland Museum has done this with Gallery One, where the digital space is used to enhance and enrich the physical museum experience.
This is a unique time in our history, a time to choose how we want to be and how we want to live. I don't think for a second people will ever stop interacting with one another physically, that's counter to how we're wired. But I do believe we can help add dimension to our sterile binary world through its marriage to a warm and imperfect physical one. This union will benefit us all, as we explore how to truly exist with our head and hearts in both worlds.