Still being a relatively new arrival to the world of mobile design and development, I get a “gee whiz” sort of amazement and fascination on a daily basis with what we at Appsolute Media have already created for the iPhone and iPad, but even more so from what’s in store from us over the next few months, and within the industry as a whole.
The continued growth of the hardware and software, expansive and immersive game worlds, integration with physical surroundings, celebrity partnerships, connectivity across digital platforms, intuitive and ridiculously robust applications, a complete stream of communication for advertisers — like I said: “Gee whiz.”
And all that is fine, but I find myself far more interested in culture shifts, both as related to mobile technology, but also to the whole digital and social landscape. I’m fascinated by how the availability and affordability of technologies affects us, how we use and adapt that technology into our lives and then how that reinvents the tech and encourages new forms.
Obviously not a new idea or discussion topic. Throw a rock at the ‘Wired’ offices and you’ll hit someone writing about that. But it fascinates me as an artist (yes, I do still think of myself as that, to a degree), as an “ad-guy” and as a technology developer. It’s that wonderfully rich game of Pong between users and other users, as well as users and developers, peppered with memes, larger pop-culture and accidental discoveries that keeps laying the tracks that are heading out west.
For instance, I was recently discussing games and their integration with other life activities with good friend and great writer Alex Livingston. He turned me on to former Disney imagineer Jesse Schell’s TED talk. He points out that even though the success of something like FarmVille was quite a surprise, it’s not that crazy to draw a line into the (very near) future from millions of people engaging this game and social activity, to smart technologies and games running on all sorts of daily devices. Schell makes the point that with more and more people interacting with social games, the conscious and subconscious desire for reward and “one-upping” a friend or oneself increases.
Migrating that sensibility over to another product, platform, or experience is now less of a leap. Imagine your travel mug with smart technology that you’ve preset to monitor how much caffeine you drink: You are rewarded with badges or emoticons when you stick to one cup per day, and, in turn, earn that extra cup on Saturday. Or a toothbrush with smart technology that keeps track of how many times you brush your teeth: You win badges and unlock games within the account on your phone when you brush twice a day for the whole week. All these accomplishments, their badges, notifications, invites to the product brand are all integrated into your phone, online, and viewable by friends on Facebook (or whatever Facebook becomes at that point).
Some of that may sound great, some of it may sound a little unsettling. But I guarantee this is all coming. The thing about mobile technology is that it is the platform that will allow virtually every activity in life to be measurable, winnable, recordable and shareable.
For brands and advertisers, that’s probably a relief and terrifying at the same time. A relief in that there are viable solutions to capturing eyeballs while most audiences can avoid or ignore traditional broadcast, print and (it’s weird to call this ‘traditional’ already) online ads–they have a new way to engage. Terrifying in that it’s another sea of uncharted waters. Winning fans through one on one relationships with their consumers or providing content, over the age old game of persuasion, is still very new to most brands and marketers.
But then again, taking a step back, I’d be foolish not to concede that attempting to predict the nature and eventuality of digital technology and culture is generally in the realm of folly. One more FarmVille, Guitar Hero, Facebook, or any other social and technological blip on the map is all takes to reroute the tracks. Having that super-sensitive insight into what unites and excites a population in the digital realm, and changes the course for everyone is a power reserved for a select few. And a lucrative one.
“Gee whiz.”
