Strategic insights
Summer 2011 is Digital. Not Online vs. Offline

Earlier today, @nametagscott tweeted "Offline is the new online. Face to face is making a comeback." I love Scott's tweets, but this is one of the rare occasions where he gets it wrong.

There is no difference between the two anymore. What used to be two separate worlds, is now merging into one hyper-connected "real" world.

You could say it in the past. Back when online meant you had to sit in front of a computer, away from your friends and family. And back when offline meant turning off your computer to go out. Back then, online and offline was two different things.

Now, we are online all the time. It is an extension of the offline world. We use it to enhance our lives. We check in with friends. We look something up during a discussion. We order products while we are talking about them.

Yes, face to face is coming back, but not at the expense of "online".

All this reminds me of an article I wrote last year, where I talked about how the summer months used to be a low season for online media. It is not anymore. If you haven't read it already, read "Social, Mobile Internet, Friends and Summer" now.

Another example. A couple of weeks ago I asked a friend of mine why he was working on a Saturday. He replied,

Heh... Sitting in the sun on my patio, reading stuff on my phone. Hope you got a similar excuse!

He wasn't working at all. He was relaxing and having a good time "offline". But instead of reading a book or a magazine printed on a dead tree. He was reading on his phone.

That is the new world of online and offline. It is not two different things. It is not one vs. the other. They have merged into one hyper-connected "real" world.