Life in Digital Service

Growing up can be termed as “Golden Days” for each one of us but post 2000 A.D, it did really become “Golden” from the technology growth point of view. The Internet became widely available in both developed & developing economies. The digital wave along with the increase in Desktop & Mobile devices made it easy for almost everyone to use technology. This led to a rise in a “Digital Service” ecosystem - which made it easier for many of us to do the most common chores with just a few clicks around.

During my late teens, I got my first-hand experience on the internet and was able to do some interesting web searches through a new search engine. Then in a few months, I was able to send an email to my friend in the USA, and I was amazed he received it like instant (I actually called him 10 mins later to find he was reading my email). And these were just the early days. Fast forward to 2019 - now you can “Digitally” order grocery, pay your bills, map out the travel route, track your fitness, and many more.

Like mankind evolved in the last few thousand years (or more), this ecosystem has evolved in the past decade or so. A news application which used to show the news to you & me has changed - it was the same news for both of us earlier, but now the news is based on what we want to know about. From being a “content only apps “, the whole industry has moved on to “content-driven apps”. The same people who were in awe of everything initially (people like me) are now looking for experiences through this. From the “internet”, the discussion topic has changed to “internet of things”.

Humans are born lazy, and I do not mean lazy in a bad way. We tend to find ways to do things faster & easier. Blockbuster was doing good, as one could rent out the DVDs easily. But then going back & forth the kiosk was something which everyone wanted to cut down on. This led to Netflix, which allowed the clients to get the DVDs over mail post (just a note- Netflix started as a mail-based DVD delivery system). But then return was still the issue - remember still lazy to get to post box for a return. Netflix thought on it and started the online streaming - and here comes one of the most loved turns of technology. So what Netflix did was actually give way to the human to be entertained while they can be their natural lazy self. {Lazy for me in the best sense is “Save Time”.}

Do a little exercise - glance through the apps. See how each one helps you be a bit lazy self. Amazon - no need to go to the store for stuff. Food Ordering - do not wish to cook today. Online Grocery - ah! I can get fresh veggies at the doorstep. Keep going to find as many as you can.

Counter to my argument above has been, that we use these services to be more productive. Well yes, we save time to be more productive. And we weed out the daily chores which can be done through an app. And this is just a basic usage example right now. Things have advanced more into these digital services applications.

One of the most common responses to “Why this App” has been - this was a solution to our problem in daily life. And that is what has led to the development of various advanced Digital Services. On a cold night in Paris, two people who are set out for a conference, could not find a shuttle to the venue. But there were many cars parked around - and Uber was conceptualized. Uber is a global phenomenon now. So it is not just simple apps, but advanced complex services like Uber & alike come to the usage by us.