Technology Proliferation System and Creative
Have you ever had this experience: you pick up your iPhone, go to the home screen and say, "Huh? What were I trying to do?" . Simply put, the use of the iPhone has become self-purposeful. The iPhone was originally intended as a means to do something fun, but now it has become an end. Why is this happening? In fact, there is a secret in the applications you get from the store. Twitter wants you to see ads, Netflix wants you to watch more videos, and Uber Eats wants you to order more food. If you don't use it, they will delete your app or terminate your contract. When I first learned this secret, I bemoaned the unhealthy revenue patterns of the Internet world, but I am gradually realizing that this is not a recent phenomenon. It turns out that this is not a problem unique to the Internet, but rather the nature of technology itself. Technology has a proliferating system.
Indeed, the statement, "If you don't use it, they will delete your app or terminate your contract," could be applied to other technologies as well. Unbeknownst to us, it seems that private cars and public transportation are fighting each other for customers. Private car commercials tout how great it is for your life to be able to drive the way you want, while public transportation counteracts this with environmental concerns and safety. When you go to the dealership for an inspection, they talk about the next car you should drive and make appeals about how fuel-efficient your new car is. People who are already driving cars can no longer stay away from them. Attention is demanded.
- Inducing Demanders to Use Technology
- Product and marketing design
- Maintaining social relationships with other demanders
- Attraction of relationships with suppliers
On the other hand, suppliers also cannot help but use technology. The world is flooded with applications for food and beverage chains that are not very useful. Companies will not be able to escape new initiatives due to the clever presentations of those promoting DX and the new applications of their competitors. In addition, companies promoting DX must be fascinated by the fun and potential of digital technology itself, and itch to spread it to the world. In summary, the following factors are likely to be at play
- Inducing Suppliers to Adopt Technology
- Competition among companies
- Sales by developers
- Interest in the technology itself
I see. Putting these two aspects of demand and supply together, we can certainly imagine that technology has a proliferative nature. When a new technology is invented, such as printing, electrical signals, or engines, it tends to replace existing methods from one end to the other.
| Technology | New Service/Media | Existing Service/Media |
|---|---|---|
| Printing | Reading | Oral tradition |
| Electrical signals | LP | Concerts |
| Engine | Car | Carriage |
| Computer | Streaming | Movie Theater |
| Internet | SNS | Business Cards |
The pattern in which the use of technology-based services/media other than the Internet, such as SNS and Google, is self-purposed can also be seen. For example, driving, LP collection, reading pride, etc. These are examples of how the demand side is guided by the use of technology, which is also common to technologies other than the Internet. On the supply side, if a label's competitor releases a new LP, they will have to do the same to compete.
I see two problems with this obsession with technology on both the demand and supply sides.
- excessive replacement of technology
- addiction due to the self-objectification of products and services
However, I thought here. Is there a pattern in which these problems are less likely to appear?
It was about creative activities. In the case of creative activities, it may be possible to develop a healthy relationship with technology. That is, the proliferative nature of technology becomes a relationship that supports creativity. This is because the act of creativity itself requires both exploration of the new (supply-side proliferation) and mastery of the means (demand-side proliferation). This can be clearly seen by shifting the previous table from the consumer to the creator perspective.
| Technology | New Creative | Existing Creative |
|---|---|---|
| Printing | Writing | Oral Tradition |
| Electrical signals | Sound recordings | Concerts |
| Engine | Car racing | Horse racing |
| Computer | Adobe | Handwriting Design |
| Internet | YouTube posts | 8mm film |
For each new creative, I cannot speak of it as inferior or superior to the existing ones, but there is a joy that comes from having a new playground, and immersion in these technologies is often a good way to enhance creativity. In the case of writing, one must first become proficient in the art of writing. The more widespread the use of printed materials, the easier it is to improve one's writing skills. Writing also allows for a realism of dialogue and an optimal speed for each reader that could not be conveyed through oral tradition. This technique becomes more sophisticated the more books an author writes.
Summary.
- Technology Proliferation System
- Inducing Demanders to Use Technology
- Inducing Suppliers to Adopt Technology
- When consuming content or media, humans are often at the mercy of Technology Proliferation System
- In the case of creative activities, Technology Proliferation System often enhances creativity