A Digital Immersion Manifesto

A Digital Immersion Manifesto

Digital immersion is the practise of "living" online. These people find it more rewarding to be communicating on multiple channels that might include social media, social news, other websites, Skype, other forms of IM, online games and other practices like writing, reading, learning online and consuming videos. It's difficult to estimate what percentage of the world's population are among the digitally immersed, but conservative estimates puts it at 13%. Digital immersion is a precursor to early transhumanists and enhancers. That is, 1 of 10 people on the planet are whether they know it or not, in training for an increasingly simulated and virtual future. 

Gamification Experiment

Have you ever heard of the theory that Facebook is a big social experiment?

The entire internet could be seen as a gamification experiment. Gamification implies layers of immersion that reward addictive behaviour and high levels of continued engagement over time. For many of us Millennials and GenXers, it's part of our lifestyle and an intrinsic par of our identity. While some people enjoy travelling, going out for a beer and doing experiential things, we actually prefer being online and enjoying the more social and informational contents that necessitates multiplicity, multi-tasking and streamlining our user experience thereby shaping our brains differently.

Layers, Channels and Speed of Processing

I personally never found mobile devices that convenient, why? Because I can't do as much as fast as I can on PC. I'll never be able to text as fast as I can type. If I can have 30 tabs open on a PC, what's the alternative to a mobile device or wearable tech? With augmented reality and virtual reality headsets coming, I wonder as a digital geek, if those simulations will transform again our reality.

So why what could be the possible motivations of digital immersion:

• More rapid communication
• More optimal access to information
• More variety of sensory stimulation
• Greater access to social variety and diversity
• Staying with the digital learning curve of society
• Consuming media of the post-modern global society

Digital immersion implies participation in various groups and one to one communication exchanges with people who are not physically local to your location. Therefore it is implicated in a whole new way people socialize, participate in society and consuming information. The digitally immersed are global citizens in the digital sense.

Future of Digital Landscape  

 According to figures in 2014, Canadians were among the leaders in digital consumption with 39 hours a month spent browsing the web with a desktop or laptop, going up to 75 hours a month if mobile devices are included. That's 2.5 hours a day. The digitally immersed on the other hand, spend more than 8 hours a day online or roughly four times the average of the population.

What is going to continue to drive Digital Immersion (DI)?

• Virtual reality headsets
• Better mobile applications
• Continued improvements of algorithms that influence search, social media feeds and personalization of the user experience generally
• Machine-learning agents that personalize content to the individual
• Evolution of predictive analytics in our online journey
• Evolution of technology in education, classroom and of online learning
• The rise of wearable devices, smart glasses, smart clothing, etc...
• Evolution of the Internet of Things
• Quantum computing and the arrival of a virtual reality embedded internet

Are you among the Digitally Immersed?

• You find at least 2 channels of social media highly engaging
• You may participate in online games
• You use an online learning site to gain additional knowledge
• You browse the web on a daily basis
• You find social media rewarding
• Some of your most significant hobbies include online activities
• You enjoy social news sites and read social reviews about brands, products and services in your area.
• You are online over 8+ hours a day including time on mobile devices
• You aren't bothered by staring at a screen for multiple hours on end
• You rarely get bored with online content and digital stimulation
• You enjoy keeping up to date with the latest digital trends, devices and IT.
• You have chosen to work in a field that requires significant amount of DI.

Do you think you are addicted to the internet? Why might this be an adaptive or a socially maladaptive thing?