We live in the digital era – one can hardly deny this fact. Our lives have considerably changed and we can feel the impact of smart technologies on our everyday lives. The number of Internet users has grown exponentially and now amounts to more than 3 billion. About 70 hours of new video is being uploaded to YouTube every single minute while Instagram hosts 40 million new photos every day.
We are all a part of what is happening. Right now you are reading an article published online, aren’t you? Most of us bank online, purchase online, chat online and do numerous other things online. And the digital marketing and digital world are just around us. Here are some more striking statistics – about 70% of the population has a smartphone while more than 40% own a tablet. The number of people using smartphones on a daily basis is permanently growing.
And let us assure you – we are just at the beginning of this great change. Other smart technology products will appear shortly. These are things we can or cannot predict, may or may not imagine. All of these things do have a great impact on our lives. They change us, but how? Are we becoming better? Cleverer? Or lazier? Let us talk about very interesting part of our online marketing course – smart technology in more detail.
Modern people are addicted to instant choice. We want things instantly since we are used to it. Moreover, nowadays we want things faster than fast. And digital marketing lets businesses to achieve this goal. Some people claim that we haven’t yet experienced the whole range of influences smart technology solutions can have. However, some people say that they have already made us more unwise.
This question won’t probably be answered shortly. The only truth we know now is that smart technologies have become an integral part of our lives. According to the latest research, people click between windows about forty times an hour. Why? To browse the Internet or to check mail. Smart technology products make us better at multitasking. But is it always good? Some recent studies show that multitaskers have shorter attention and memory spans. Furthermore, multitasking increases stress.
Let us look into the core – why do we click between windows instead of being focused and dedicated to one task only? And what you shall know about is the digital marketing prospective? The response might lie within the spectrum of our genetics. Whenever we come across something that fascinates us or grasps our attention, a chemical called “dopamine” is being produced by our brain. We feel its impact when we make interesting discoveries. It can be provoked by exciting information, a message from an old friend we have just received or a cute image.
This is a new way of getting acquainted with the world. According to some scientist, it marks a new important tendency and our brain is being retired now. This change is very important. In fact, it is nearly as important as climate change. New smart technology helps us in many ways. Many of us spend the better part of the day online. Smart technology solutions do have consequences. However, this is not always bad.
When properly used, new smart technology can help us to consume less or be less stressed out. Smart technology also has the very beneficial impact on learning. Fears we have about potential consequences of smart technology products are not new. People have always feared changes. This has already happened with radio, television and video games.
So who is right? Those who speak of the positive impact of smart technology solutions or those who tell scary stories about their consequences? Probably, neither the first group nor the second. Computers don’t worsen our memory – that’s for sure. The way our brain works is changing, true. It does not mean that we forget. We store information differently.
Many people view social media as a total waste of time. But aren’t there any advantages of social networks? Many researchers claim that social media helped teenagers feel included. They decrease the sense of isolation and help them cope with stress and other issues. Therefore, smart technologies cannot be treated as something entirely bad or entirely good. It is the way we use them. It allows us to feel connected, but sometimes smart technology products seem to take over our lives. However, there is a way to avoid that.
Can our new smart technology dependence be compared to drug or alcohol addiction? Maybe. However, all smart technology solutions are equipped with a switch off button. If you are still capable of “unplugging” and spending the whole day long offline, things are probably not that bad. Beyond any doubt, smart technology can be very helpful. These are devices that facilitate lots of processes. They make us quicker and more efficient.
New smart technology is a valuable source of information for digital marketing professionals and consumers. However, you are probably experiencing the consequences of it on you, and you feel certain pressure and “unplugging” does not seem a good option to you. In this case, it is time to think over and change something about it.
Now let us have a look at another aspect of smart technology– artificial intelligence. This is one of the most widely discussed issues related to smart technologies and digital marketing. Voice-controlled assistants have already become the important part of our lives. Computers are permanently becoming quicker and smarter. Why do so many people regard these changes as a potential hazard?
Right now artificial intelligence can hardly pose a threat to us, but they do know more than we do. They are the very powerful tools used in various areas of our lives. For example, in medical practice, they can help doctors recognize diseases. Therefore, artificial intelligence is capable of doing things for us, very often better than us, without our help or control.
Artificial intelligence can apprehend consumer’s behaviour by their past decisions and choices. This requires very thorough work of developers. The algorithms and processes underlying it are very complex. Artificial intelligence is the very good at predicting tasks. They seem to know more about us than some of our friends. Smart technology solutions are designed in such a way that they make offers specifically for us, and this aspect of smart technology keeps on improving.
Anyway, there are things artificial intelligence cannot do (yet). Smart technology products have a very serious influence on our lives and business. Artificial intelligence can take over some of our jobs right now, but not all of them. Things are going to be more robotic in the future, but humans will always remain the ones to control the processes.
Think of travel agencies, for instance. There are several options for us when we are planning a holiday. We can simply use the Internet to help us to buy cheap tickets for a plane or book a hotel. But we can also go to the nearest travel agency with a friendly employee we’ve known for years if we don’t want to do that job on our own.
Anyway, artificial intelligence has its limits. It won’t take care of the elderly or the disabled. The software will hardly be able to do that. We will need a human being to teach kids or treat them. These jobs require empathy which cannot be yet experienced by smart technology.
Shall we dread artificial intelligence? The truth is nobody knows how smart technology solutions will change our lives in the future. However, the majority of scary stories will probably just remain stories. Smart technologies are aimed not to ruin our lives but to help us and to become more productive in certain areas where machines cannot substitute us.