Digital Lifestyle
Since the beginning of the 21st century the buzzword Digital lifestyle characterizes a lifestyle where everday life is shaped by the extensive use of the internet, digital media, social media and mobile apps. With the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 the smartphone became the signature gadget which embodies the Digital lifestyle. Investigating its use is a major topic of media research[1][2] In addition to smartphones and laptops, tablet computers and smart watches came into widespread use in the 2010s. Cloud computing, smart homes with wireless LAN, smart TV, smart speaker, service robots and various other smart objects are also increasingly becoming integral components of the Digital lifestyle.
Origin of the concept[edit]
The development of the high tech Industry in Silicon Valley, The Californian Ideology (Stewart Brand, John Perry Barlow, Whole Earth Catalog, hippies, nerds, geeks) and the growth of Ubiquitous computing are closely related to the Digital lifestyle. Since the 1990s the American technology magazine Wired reports on and promotes digital lifestyle innovations and covers the development of digital culture.
Since the 1970s Steve Wozniak (*1950), Mike Markkula (*1942) and Steve Jobs (1955–2011) developed and shipped Apple-branded computers and software (Apple II, Macintosh, iPod, iTunes, iLife, AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV+). The „Digital Hub“-strategy and the design and aesthetics of Apple products were to a large extent responsible for the global breakthrough of the Digital lifestyle:[3]
Mac can become the digital hub of our emerging digital lifestyle, adding tremendous value to our other digital devices.
— Steve Jobs, Macworld keynote, January 9th, 2001
In the mid-2000s Bill Gates of Microsoft also embraced and promoted consumer technology for a Digital lifestyle.[4] Mobile devices with Android (e.g. Samsung Galaxy) dominate the market together with IOS-based Apple-devices since the 2010s.
Forerunners of a networked lifestyle in Europe in the 1980s were Minitel in France and Bildschirmtext in Germany.
The ubiquity of keyboard mobile phones in the 1990s has paved the way for the touchscreen and App store-linked smartphone of the 21st century as a multifunctional "Swiss Army Knife" for a networked internet-based society.
Requirements for the Digital lifestyle[edit]
Basic requirement for the Digital lifestyle is access to the internet. The german Internet service provider Freenet Group, for example, explicitly brands itself as "We are Digital lifestyle" (Wir sind Digital lifestyle)[5] A key driver of the Digital lifestyle was the convergence and digital transformation of the telecommunications sector. Bundled offers (Triple play, Flatrate) for audiovisual Media services (Television, video on demand), telephony (mobile telephony, landline) and Internet led to increased competition around 2005.
In order to be able to use the various digital goods, devices with user accounts and application software are necessary. In addition, information literacies and media literacy are required. Inequalities within and between countries regarding access and usage of digital media lead to digital divides. For people with disabilities web accessibility is also required.
Dimensions of the Digital lifestyle[edit]
All areas of everyday life are affected by the Digital revolution (Internet, World Wide Web, Internet of things and digital electronics). To what extent people will adopt networked digital technologies and embrace virtual worlds and cyberspace will depend on individual attitudes, cost-benefit assessments, age/generation, gender and the social environment:
- Identity, Trust, Certification: Electronic identification, Identity theft, Security token, Digital signature, Password
- Searching, Finding, Storing: Search engine, Google search, Web browser, Information retrieval, Data mining, Cloud computing, Network-attached storage, Mobile tagging, Georeferencing, QR code
- Media, Culture, Games: Digital television, Internet Protocol Television, Streaming television, Digital radio, Online video platform, Streaming media, Livestreaming, Netflix, Podcast, Spotify, Napster, Massive open online course, Digital library, E-book, Amazon Kindle, Newsletter, Cyberfeminism, Digital art, New media art, Transmedia storytelling, Mediatization, Digital journalism, Digital photography, Selfie, Action camera, Aerial photography, Video game, Online game, Browser game, Social-network game, Online casino, Smart toy, Esports, Augmented reality
- Communication and collaboration: Connectivity, Computer-mediated communication, Email, SMS, Instant messaging, Web 2.0, Blog, Microblogging, Blogosphere, Twitter, Wiki, Social media, Folksonomy, Online chat, Online petition, Online community, Lifelog, Telepresence, Web conferencing, Flash mob, Internet celebrity, User-generated content, Image sharing, Internet café, Internet forum, Netizen, Netiquette
- Intimacy and partnership: Online dating service, Sexting, Cybersex, Mobile dating
- Buying and sharing: E-commerce, Digital wallet, Online grocer, Direct-to-consumer, Amazon, Alibaba, Online banking, PayPal, Alipay, Bitcoin, STYLEPIT, App store, Recommender system, Sharing economy, File sharing, Napster, Commons-based peer production, Prosumer, Online marketplace, EBay, Smart contract
- Religion and spirituality: Internet church, Digital inheritance, Online memorial
- Fitness and health: Quantified self, Activity tracker, EHealth, Telehealth, Electronic health record, E-textiles, Corona-Warn-App, Smartglasses
- Mobility and tourism: Automotive navigations system, Uber, Computer reservation system, Travel agency, Airbnb, Weather forecasting
- Home and household: Home automation, Smart lock, Building automation, Home cinema, Assisted Living, Virtual mirror, Amazon Echo, HomePod, Baby monitor, Smart meter, Webcam, Smart glass, Service robot, Home Assistant
Critical issues of the Digital lifestyle[edit]
The increasing adoption of digital technologies in everyday life contexts raises critical questions from different perspectives and with different arguments:
- Since all sectors of society are being transformed by the digital revolution (digital economy, 'tele-everything', 'online only') a networked digital lifestyle is seen less as a freely chosen way of life but more as a necessary adaptation in order to survive and prosper in the Digital Age.[6][7][8]
- Trust in the information security of the digital infrastructure, Internet privacy, good Internet governance and Information ethics are key questions for leading a sovereign digital Lifestyle.[9]
- The 'always online' Digital lifestyle can lead to internet addiction disorders, to information overload, technostress and high screen time.[10] This may necessitate digital detox. Further risks are cyberbullying, doxing and cybercrime.
- The changing structure of the public sphere due to social media can promote disinformation, hate speech and fake news.[11]
- The massive collection of data (big data) associated with the Digital lifestyle enables surveillance capitalism and social scoring and may hurt democracy.[12]
- Insufficient assessment of the risks associated with the introduction of new digital technologies (5G) needed to support a Digital lifestyle may lead to resistance and protests.[13]
- Whether and to what extent the Digital lifestyle furthers sustainable development of society (dematerialization, eco-sufficiency) or whether and to what extent it counteracts sustainability (energy consumption, rebound effect, electronic waste) is not yet settled.[14][15][16]
Research on the Digital lifestyle[edit]
The first generations which grew up with the World Wide Web, the Millennials and Generation Z, are most strongly associated with the Digital lifestyle (digital native). But older generations (Generation X, Baby boomers, Silver surfer) are also increasingly adopting elements of the Digital lifestyle.[17][18][19][20][21]
The Digital Economy and Society Index monitors digital connectivity, digital skills, online activity and digital public services in the individual member states of the European Union, thereby indicating the level of digital influence on everyday life in each country.
The following interdisciplinary academic institutions, among others, are conducting research on the Digital lifestyle, the internet and the digital transformation of society:
United States:
- Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
- Association of Internet Researchers
- Pew Research Center
- Stanford Center for Internet and Society
United Kingdom:
Germany:
- Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
- Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt)[22]
- The Weizenbaum-Institute for the Networked Society[23]
- Hans-Bredow-Institut
India:
References[edit]
- ↑ Laura Silver (2019-02-05). "Smartphone Ownership Is Growing Rapidly Around the World, but Not Always Equally. In emerging economies, technology use still much more common among young people and the well-educated". Pew Research Center: Global Attitudes & Trends. Retrieved 2020-04-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie (2018-07-03). "Stories From Experts About the Impact of Digital Life". Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Steve Jobs unveiling the Digital Hub Strategy at Macworld 2001". Youtube. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Gates Sees 2006 as the Year For 'The Digital Lifestyle'. The Washington Post. 2006-01-05. ISSN 0190-8286. Search this book on
- ↑ "freenet Group | Startseite" (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2021-04-01.
- ↑ Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie, Emily A. Vogels (2021-02-18). "Experts Say the 'New Normal' in 2025 Will Be Far More Tech-Driven, Presenting More Big Challenges". Pew Research Center: Internet & Technology. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Ferrel Guillory (2021-02-26). "Perspective: Hope vies with worry in a 'tele-everything' world". EdNC, Education North Carolina. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Tom Temin interviews David Shulkin (2020-03-23). "Telehealth could be just as important as telework in the fight against coronavirus". Federal News Network. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Lee Rainie, Janna Anderson (2017-08-10). "The Fate of Online Trust in the Next Decade". Pew Research Center: Internet & Technology. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ David S. Beckham (2021-01-09). "Current Research and Viewpoints on Internet Addiction in Adolescents" (PDF). Current Pediatrics Reports. 9: 1–10. doi:10.1007/s40124-020-00236-3. PMC 7796811 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 33457108 Check|pmid=value (help). Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Jennifer Allen, Baird Howland, Markus Mobius, David Rothschild, Duncan J. Watts (2020-04-03). "Evaluating the fake news problem at the scale of the information ecosystem". ScienceMag: ScienceAdvances. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie (2020-02-21). "Many Tech Experts Say Digital Disruption Will Hurt Democracy". Pew Research Center: Internet & Technology. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Kaitlyn Tiffany (2020-05-13). "Something in the Air". The Atlantic. ISSN 1072-7825. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
- ↑ "Sustainable Digital Life | Tampere universities". www.tuni.fi. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
- ↑ "Driving a sustainable digital transformation". Wuppertal Institute. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Stephan Ramesohl, Holger Berg (2019). "Steering Digitalisation in the Right Direction - Key Points for Science and Politics" (PDF). Wuppertal Institute. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Emily A. Vogels (2019-09-09). "Millennials stand out for their technology use, but older generations also embrace digital life". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2021-04-22. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Kate Conger, Erin Griffith (2020-03-27). "As Life Moves Online, an Older Generation Faces a Digital Divide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
- ↑ "Why some older people are rejecting digital technologies". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
- ↑ Catherine Knowles (2019-08-02). "Life changing or frustrating? New research looks into digital lifestyles". itbrief.com.au. Retrieved 2021-04-22. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The State of Digital Lifestyles 2019" (PDF). Limelight Networks. Retrieved 2021-04-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation". bidt. Retrieved 2021-04-25. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Weizenbaum-Institute for the Networked Society". Weizenbaum-Institut. Retrieved 2021-04-25. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
See also[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- Yochai Benkler: The Wealth of Networks. How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, Yale University Press 2006
- Albert Borgmann: Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life. A Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Chicago Press 1984
- Mary Chayco: Superconnected. The Internet, Digital Media and Techno-social Life, Sage 2020
- José van Dijk: The Culture of Connectivity, Oxford University Press 2013
- Jacques Ellul: The Technological Society, Knopf 1964
- Peter Glotz, Stefan Bertschi, Chris Locke (Eds.): Thumb Culture. The Meaning of Mobile Phones for Society, Transcript Verlag 2005
- Don Ihde: Technology and the Lifeworld. From Garden to Earth, Indiana University Press 1990
- Nicolas Negroponte: Being Digital, Alfred A. Knopf 1995
- Cal Newport: Digital Minimalism. Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, Penguin 2019
- John Palfrey, Urs Gasser: Born Digital. How Children Grow up in a Digital Age, Basic Books 2016
- John Moores: Media and Everyday Life in Modern Society, Edinburgh University Press 2000
- Daniel J. Solove: The Digital Person. Technology and Privacy in the Information Age, New York University Press 2004
- Fred Turner: From Counterculture to Cyberculture. Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism, The University of Chicago Press 2006
- Joseph Turow, Lokman Tsui: The Hyperlinked Society. Questioning Connections in the Digital Age, University of Michigan Press 2008
- Robert Wigley: Born Digital. The Story of a Distracted Generation, Whitefox Publishing 2021
External links[edit]
- Digital Living. Getting the most out of digital society, Corsham Institute 2016
- Future lifestyles in Europe and the United States in 2020. A trend report for the Horizon 2020 programme by www.wevolve.us, 2013
- The Digital Lives of Chinese Consumers, Accenture 2014
- The Hyperconnected World of 2030-2040, Institute for the Future 2020
- What's the meaning of 'When Everything is Media'?, The iftf Blog 2017
- David Beer: Sooner or later we will melt together. Framing the digital in the everyday, First Monday 2005
- Digital Skills. Succeeding in a digital world, The Open University 2020
- Arun Tripathy: Technologically mediated Lifeworld, Ubiquity, Volume 2004 Issue December
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