Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Joy of Quiet

Pico Iyer wrote an article for the New York Times called "The Joy of Quiet" speculating that the unconventional key to marketing in the future is through "stillness". In a world where those able empty their pockets for the latest in technology, we seem to be addicted to being connected. It isn't very often when we are disconnected from one another or unplugged from the world around us. We constantly find ourselves in front of a screen and tapped in to social media, informational websites, texting-whatever keeps us informed and away from normal human interaction.

Now, children are receiving their own personal smart phones before they enter the double digits. Yet despite all this, Iyer believes that younger generations will eventually be burnt out from technology that the true luxury of the future is quiet and alone time. This makes me think of the world today and how the best way to get people's attention is through the internet or, in some cases, the lack of. With the SOPA and PIPA bills going through congress to threaten the freedom of internet speech, many websites including Wikipedia have gone black for a day in protest. While many people were aware of the bills prior to the black it, it wasn't until beloved websites went away for a day that people began to take notice of the bill and speak out against it. Opposition to the bills gained a lot of ground with websites going black because people took notice. This shows how recently, the power of silence, stillness and being unplugged in any form can be. Whether it is to catch people's attention, or used as a luxury, stillness may be the thing that future generations crave the most in this tech oriented world.