Article by Daniel Christian

It’s easy to say that we were better off when we were worse off. If you are a Millennial or older, you will probably remember a time when “digital world” was a thing only in sci-fi movies.

Time spent with friends or family members was exclusively offline, in pubs or family homes. Do you think it is really that different now? We can’t really say the virtual has replaced the real world.

Physical and digital entertainment merge with new platforms and innovative ways to connect, both online and offline.

The virtual platforms offer an extension or an alternative to physical time spent with friends.

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Streaming and on-demand culture

According to recent reports, UK households subscribe to an average of 2.5 streaming services, with platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer becoming everyday staples.

This is simply a different way to gather around with friends and family to spend time with them. Once, it was dominated by tv programming, now it’s almost exclusively on-demand.

This does not equal a fading of personal interaction: quite on the contrary.

Colleagues, relatives, friends from different cities can watch the same show or movie at the same time. Then they come together, online or offline, to comment on it, compare theories and share memes.

Podcasts and micro-entertainment on the rise

While long-form entertainment is absolutely loved by UK residents, micro-entertainment is also on the rise.

This includes podcasts, TikTok or YouTube videos and other forms of social media interaction. What’s interesting about this surge is that this kind of media hasn’t suppressed others.

Radio, tv and cinema are still strong, and are usually enhanced by commentary on the internet.

How many times have you listened to a true crime podcast to analyse a piece of crime news after viewing or listening to a traditional newscast?

Have you ever deep-dived on a movie after watching it, with in-depth analysis on YouTube and easter eggs reels on Instagram?

These are all ways to deepen your connection to the media, just in a different way then you would some years ago.

Finding community spirit in a digital age

People tend to think that the advancement of technology is a bad thing for in-person and local connection.

This is not the case though: the Covid-19 pandemic and its subsequent lockdown have highlighted the necessity of community spirit and sense of belonging.

In this case, social media can be an enhancement too. They help connect people with similar interests or hobbies, who then organize book clubs, neighbourhood markets, local gatherings, even protests and political events.

Why local events are making a comeback in UK

Farmers’ markets, music festivals, and open-air cinema nights are once again crowding community calendars.

This proves that digital and physical are not antithesis: they can co-exist and help one another. When an online community grows, it will probably plan something to meet offline.

This provides new events, helps increase human contact and foster friendships that can last for years or decades.

The rise of innovations doesn’t mean people don’t value traditional and physical forms of connection.

It’s an enhancement, an extension of real-life relationships into other forms of belonging.

It offers a platform for clubs, events and organizations that don’t have funds for traditional advertising.

And it also increasingly helps the inclusion of people with disabilities or other issues, who would be otherwise really isolated from their precious human communities.