The signs are everywhere, shouting to the world that physical environments are back in full force. Despite the digital hype, people’s somewhat frightened fascination with Artificial Intelligence and the consistent growth of online businesses, many brands are betting their chips on face-to-face meetings, in real places, on human connections.
Is it a fad or a trend? The answer, my friend, is swinging with the pendulum.
We are (finally) realizing that the digital world, which we have allowed to invade our lives, has taken over our time. Just the other day I let myself get hypnotized by a game of mahjong on my cell phone. When I looked at the clock, it was two in the morning. Time wasted. Has something like this happened to you before? Probably, yes.
The huge buzz caused by the Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ (if you haven’t seen it yet, overcome your resistance and watch it; it’s necessary) is a reflection of an awareness that is taking shape: the pendulum has swung too far in favor of the digital world. We are losing control.
We are accompanied, but lonely. Overwhelmed by the excess of tasks and the lack of time. Frightened by the bleak prospects of the future, infected by permacrises. At the mercy of digital scoundrels. I no longer answer the phone when the number is unknown, convinced that a malicious robot wants to steal my data. As if this data were not already circulating out of control.
Slaves of the virtual, we take screens everywhere, even to bed. My flights are no longer used to catch up on reading, because now I have free access to the plane’s Wi-Fi. Damn convenience. I take my cell phone out of my pocket, without thinking, at every moment of micro-boredom: elevator on the top floor, traffic jams or that boring part of a TV series.
Faced with this obvious exaggeration, amplified by the fear of the uncertain, we turn to the past in search of nostalgic comfort. We remember how good it was to have coffee with friends, chat, watch a good movie at the cinema, sing until we lost our voices at a concert of your favorite band, and cheer for the team at the stadium, with 50 thousand other people.
But don’t lose hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. And it’s not a train going in the opposite direction. In the United States, Barnes & Noble is opening bookstores. In Brazil, Spotify promises to invest in more live shows, to bring people together. All over the world, Heineken is trying to convince people to exchange hours on their smartphones for quality time with friends, in bars. Nightlife has moved to cafés, flirting to urban runs. Real life and connections between humans are definitely on the rise.
Does this mean the downfall of digital? Absolutely not. We don’t want to, nor do we need to, give up the good things (and some bad things too) that technology provides. The pendulum swings strongly in the direction of the physical, but it will come back. After all, this is the nature of the pendulum, to seek a position of balance. It should be ours too – in life and in business.
The idea is to explore the best of both worlds. Because there is no doubt: the physical and digital are two sides of the same coin.
Luiz Alberto Marinho is managing partner at Gouvêa Malls.
*This text reflects the author’s opinion and does not necessarily reflect the position of Mercado&Consumo. This text was translated with AI.
Image: Envato
