Look with your eyes. Not your screen.
The shifting norms around sharing experiences in physical and digital spaces.
This past weekend my girlfriend and I went down to LA for FYF Fest. Held at LA’s Exposition Park, FYF 2017 boasted one of the most diverse music lineups of the past few years.
The last time either of us were at a festival was in 2010, but we decided to make the pilgrimage because the lineup was, well, awesome:
Needless to say, we were stoked and each performance was amazing — except for one thing: it was hard to see what was happening on the stage during the show because people were constantly recording video. We flew from Portland, OR to Los Angeles, CA to attend the festival, and phone screens were in our line of sight nearly 70% of the time!
The performances were significant: watching Missy Elliot, who had not performed live in a decade, Frank Ocean, who actually showed up to perform (he has a history of canceling appearances), Erykah Badu, celebrating the 20th anniversary of her album Baduism, and A Tribe Called Quest’s last performance in LA. Instead of being present and enjoying these performances, people were recording videos and watching through their screens for extended periods of time.
It was a clear example of how many people are now placing more emphasis on sharing their experience on social media than on having the experience itself. For many, telling your friends you were at FYF is the experience. There is less value in hearing Frank Ocean perform than there is in letting people on social media that you were there. It makes sense: most of the audience grew up with social media, and while this might not have been the experience that I wanted, it is the experience that many in that audience are used to and know.
In the summer of 2010, when we were at our last music festival, Instagram wasn’t out yet, Twitter didn’t have photo sharing capabilities, Facebook was about a year into its mobile existence, and only 1 in 10 people even had a smartphone. Those who did certainly did not have 100 GB of storage at their fingertips.
Those 7 years were a time-warp that caught us and some of the performers off guard. At one point, Missy Elliot stopping playing and asked people to put their phones away and focus on the show. In 2010 this wouldn’t have been an issue, but societal norms seem to be changing. As we step into the next wave of technology, it’s important that we talk about and define what are appropriate behaviors in shared, public spaces. Without this, we may see more incidents like this one.
Documenting and Experiencing the Total Solar Eclipse?
This obsession with sharing and experience isn’t just limited to the most recent and trending music festival. We see it for all sorts of events, from our nephew’s soccer game, to what many call “a most spectacular astrological event,” the total solar eclipse that is happening later this month. Although a total solar eclipse occurs once every 18 months, the last time one was visible in the mainland United States was in 1979.
Many people will congregate along the path of totality on August 21st, and many people will attempt to take a photo of it. The problem is, most of these people are not skilled enough with their phones to capture the moment properly and might potentially miss the event altogether as they attempt to get a perfect shot.
This potential reality is being discussed in many circles, including at NASA. The advice NASA’s Dr. William Dean Pesnell gives for all eclipse viewers:
Take a picture or two with your camera. But the important thing is to just stand there and just be amazed at what the sun looks like when you get rid of all that stuff that heats us up and keeps us warm and grows our crops.
In this case, the desire to document and share an experience could mean potentially missing one of the great astrological events of our lifetime.
One of the more significant new experiences technology allows us to do is to photograph and share the moments of our life via on social media and beyond. The eclipse, and the music festival experiences remind me that, as a UX designer, my goal is more than to simply understand how people interact with technology. It’s critical we understand why people are using technology, what values are reflected in their usage, how these technologies can affect the lives of non-users, and the impact usage can have on society and culture over time. It is the job of UX professionals to facilitate and support these conversations to give our clients the best chance of creating products that matter to users and thus will have longevity in the market.
Related links
10 Tips To Master Taking Photographs Of The Oregon Solar Eclipse
