Drawing on a survey of 7,213 adults in 19 countries, this presentation from communications company Havas Worldwide explores the ups and downs of life in the digital age and includes implications for marketers.

1. 1
Spring 2012

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

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

4. 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
5
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
6

7. 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…
8
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. 67% of Prosumers and 53% of the
mainstream depend on social networking to
help them with their shopping
9

10. …but our relationship with technology has changed
10

11. All in all, will digital technology make
life on planet Earth better or worse?
11
58
47
10
7
34
44
It will make life better
It will make life worse
It’s too soon to tell
% Prosumers
% Mainstream

12. 12
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

13. 13
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 down and reconnect to a
more natural life

14. 14
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

15. 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?
15
Technology blurs the lines between:

16. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC
LIVES/
INTIMACY IS A MIRAGE
16

17. The Internet has reversed the paradigm of
communication
17
Offline
Private by default. Public through effort.
Online
Public by default. Private through effort.

18. Transparency is overtaking anonymity
18
online
Image credit: Namesake.com

19. 19
We are complicit in social media’s
confiscation of our personal
narratives…
Facebook terms
of use deny users
any property
rights over their
personal
information
94% of U.S.
consumers
consider online
privacy important,
but only 37%
consistently take
steps to protect it
(2011 Harris Interactive
Survey)

20. 54 55 57 57 62 71
I worry that technology is robbing
39 30 21 35 26 17
…and yet many of us are finding it difficult to
adapt to the new privacy paradigm
20
51 44 38
us of our privacy
People share too much about
their personal thoughts and
experiences online; we need to
go back to being more private
I have regretted posting personal
information about myself online
I have regretted posting personal
information about a friend or
family member online
I worry that friends or family will share personal information online
about me that I don’t want to be shared
% age 1834
% age 3554
% age 55+

21. 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
21

Young people today have no sense of personal
privacy; they’re willing to post anything and
everything about their lives online


22. 22
“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

23. 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
23

24. …it fuels jealousy and envy…
34% of millennials say social networking
makes them less satisfied with their own lives—
and envious of the lives they see others leading
24

25. 25
…and it disrupts the public
and political spheres
74% worry about society’s
loss of civility/politeness
63% of Prosumers and 57%
of mainstream worry we’re
losing the ability to engage in
civil debate and consider
other points of view

26. 26
Social media has the power to
inflame passions and spread fear
72% worry about
rise of extremism
(political, religious)
64% are concerned
about modern society’s
lack of trust and the rise
of paranoia and
conspiracy theories

27. Our digital lifestyles may even be causing
us to lose our human interconnectedness
27
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

28. 28

29. MACHINE AND
ORGANISM/
HYBRID IS OUR NEW
NATURE
We shape our tools
and thereafter our
tools shape us.
29
Marshall McLuhan
Image credit: screenrant.com

30. Technology has brought phenomenal levels
of convenience and access
30

31. 31
Multitasking has become
our new way of life
Young people are packing in
equivalent of nearly 11 hours of
content a day by frequently
multitasking (2010 Kaiser Family Foundation Study)

32. 32
We’re addicted to our
digital tools
59
62
51 49 48 46
32 35
56 51
A B C D E
A: I am concerned about society’s addiction
to/overreliance on technology
B: I worry that digital technology/multitasking is
impairing our ability to think deeply and focus on
one task at a time
C: Being online distracts me too often
D: Being online interferes with my family life
E: I enjoy deliberately taking breaks from my
phone/mobile devices
% Prosumers
% Mainstream

33. 33
Is there an “off” button?
I’m concerned about
society’s fast pace/being
always on the go
I spend too much time working
and rushing about and not
enough time enjoying my life
I’m concerned about
technology overload

I’m concerned about
information overload



34. Adding to the angst, we’re increasingly at the mercy of
algorithms for info and perspectives
34

35. Computer algorithms anticipate our tastes and
inclinations—and make our experiences unique…
35

36. 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?
36
Leading us to ask…

37. RATIONALITY AND
MYSTICISM/
IS HIGH-TECH A NEW
RELIGION?
37

38. The term Google is searched for more than
God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Christianity,
Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism combined
38
Are the leading technology
brands our new gods?

39. Like the gods of many faiths, the Internet
is omnipresent and omniscient
39

40. 40
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

41. The Internet helps us build community…
41
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

42. 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)
42

43. …and holds the power of retribution
43
and punishment

44. 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.”
44
Pui-Yan Lam

45. KEY TAKEWAYS FOR MARKETERS
45

46. #1: People are seeking to reestablish boundaries
between private and public, virtual and real
46

47. 47
Privacy management services will be in
demand

48. There’s a market for social networking sites, like
Pinterest, focused on interests and passions
rather than individuals and popularity
48

49. #2: We need tips and advice as to how to use
technology properly
49

50. 50
Software and
applications that
promote better use
of the Internet

51. 51
Opportunities to break free…

52. The Company Store celebrated its 100th
anniversary with a gadget-free family night event
52

53. #3: Consumers are weary of artificial, disposable
everything
53

54. 50 54 57
54
63 67 71
I’m concerned about society’s
overconsumption
52 47 45 41 40 40
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

55. A new way forward % Prosumers
55
% 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

56. 56
The most valued products offer
deeper satisfactions and meaning

57. Seeking to accumulate experiences, skills, and
knowledge—not just more “stuff”
57

58. Provenance and tradition add to worth
58

59. 59
Smart
choices
about which
we can feel
good

60. Seeking brand partners with a sense of purpose
60

61. #4: People are seeking to create a hybrid
existence that combines the best of old and new
61

62. 62
digital + natural
Hand Carved Wood Cover for iPad
“Natural Dry Leaves” skin for iPhone

63. 63
modern + traditional

64. 64
high-tech + communal

65. 65
mindful + convenient

66. #5: Hungry for stability and certainty
66

67. Is personal freedom making us insecure?
67
58
63
64
I’m concerned about society’s
loss of formality/casual
everything
48
50
53
I’m concerned about society’s
loss of religious faith
75
79
67
I’m concerned about society’s
moral decline
48
51
53
I’m concerned about society’s
gender merge—men and
women no longer having clear
roles based on gender

68. 60 68 74 65 71 79
68
Adrift without clear rules
I worry that society has
become too shallow,
focusing too much on things
that don’t really matter
48 44 33
I’m concerned about
society’s loss of trusted
leaders/role models
I sometimes feel as
though I’m wasting my
life

69. 69
Seeking reassurance…

70. 70

71. 71
…guidance…

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…structure…

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…and leadership

74. For more insights from Havas Worldwide research—and to download the
This Digital Life white paper—visit www.prosumer-report.com
And follow us on Twitter (@prosumer_report)
74

75. Select images courtesy of Creative Commons @flickr.com
75
_ 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