Transmitting, Browsing, Searching, Connecting
As we think about the evolution of the digital revolution, the space has changed dramatically since it's humble beginnings back in 80's. When I first started working (ok, I'm going to date myself), there was no voice mail or email. I was at the Carnation Company in Boston and we had just gotten .... wait a minute ... a fax machine. In my mind, that was the beginning of the digital world. Maybe others don't see it that way, but that's when my digital journey began.
Then came voice mail, which was an innovation that meant we could step away from our desks and people could still communicate with us ... it was a wow. Email came along and although at first we were all a little afraid of the load time, it changed forever how we pass along information. The back end of the 80's was the decade of transmitting.
Websites kicked in the 90's and we all found ourselves browsing and surfing the internet. The 90's was the decade of browsing.
In the 00's, we discovered searching and Google inspired us to put a search button on everything, and that too changed our lives once again. The 00's was the decade of searching.
And while we still find ourselves searching a lot, something even more meaningful happened in the 10's --- we began engaging. Finding each other and connecting and sharing and chatting on multiple social media outlets. The 10's is the decade of connecting.
And once again our lives have changed. I have friends from every aspect of my life that I communicate with on a daily basis and I have friends now that I have never met in person, and really don't know at all, that I am communicating on a daily basis. It's amazing how connected we all are.
Even more amazing is the digital evolution from transmitting, to browsing, to searching, to connecting. And how much value it has added to our lives at each point.
Things that make you go hmm ... what's your experience? Jim.
Jim Joseph
President of Lippe Taylor
Author of The Experience Effect