Don’t You People Have Lives?
Of course you do. And like us, you spend a fair amount of them online.
Now, it looks like passing fixation is evolving into full-tilt addiction. Reuters reports that we’re sacrificing real-world relationships, interaction—even intimacy—for the sake of our virtual existence. According to a recent JWT survey:
More than a quarter of respondents—or 28 percent—admitted spending less time socializing face-to-face with peers because of the amount of time they spend online.
It also found that 20 percent said they spend less time having sex because they are online.
Pathetic? Perhaps to some, but also unshakable justification for building and maintaining a strong online presence, and for embracing the Web’s increasingly social nature. As one expert explained:
…online and offline lives are co-mingled and [many] would chose a Wi-Fi connection over TV any day…[t]his is how they communicate, entertain and live.
And it’s all about reaching people where they live, isn’t it?
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Chris Ammon said,
on September 20th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Niche audiences, micro channels, segmentation, all of that springs from what you’re talking about. You can’t find a thousand oragami kite makers in Alexandria, but you can find more than you’d ever want to know online (I’m guessing here on this particular topic, people). Cable TV was the beginning of segmentation (oooooh, a sports-only channel!), but now you can find web communities about just one sport or just your alma mater’s football team. More and more focus. Online you have a great opportunity to meet the folks you really want to know, whether in person or not. My neighbors don’t follow oragami kite making, why would I hang out with them!?