Digitality: Design Your Life
Digitization and "digital lifestyle" are reaching their limits. Digitality and "Design Your Life" are the contemporary approach that transcends these boundaries. But what does the perspective of digitality mean for the customer journey and storytelling?
On October 23, 2001, Steve Jobs heralded the «digital lifestyle» with the launch of the iPod. On January 9, 2007, this trend was further accelerated by the introduction of the iPhone. The rest is history. To this day, these developments in digitalization continue to shape our everyday lives, with a focus on digital and technological innovations—drawing a distinction between the digital and the real.
The metaverse, transformation, and disruption are concepts based on the concept of digitality.
But there was more to it. On September 5, 2013, the end of the «Digital Lifestyle» was announced. As part of the launch of two new products (a smartphone with a stylus and a smartwatch), Samsung challenged its target audience: «Design the story of your life.» The digital realm became an increasingly integral part of analog life—the distinction between digital and real was erased. Countless initiatives in advertising and brand management have since followed this «Design Your Life» approach. From Hornbach’s «Make it your project» (2009) to Apple’s ’Your Verse” in 2014 to Adidas’ flagship store in London (2021).
Digitalization has reached its limits
The balanced combination of tradition and innovation, people and technology, and digital and analog is often neglected in the context of digital transformation and the digital lifestyle. When it comes to «digital transformation,» questions related to topics such as the «customer journey» and «storytelling» are often answered with a clear commitment to—or even a compulsion toward—digital solutions. This imbalance becomes apparent when searching for the right content, the right locations, and the right tools for the target audience:
- With so many digital tools and providers available, it's easy to lose track of them all.
- Time is wasted and resources are squandered.
- It is difficult to select and make effective use of digital opportunities, and analog potential is often overlooked.
And what about the analog world?
People have a need for experiences and stories, for «real» informal interaction with others, and for tactile sensations, experiences, and the joy of living. Likewise, the analog world addresses our need for a break—a time when we can look away from our screens. But it also addresses the need for clarity, order, and structure. Digitalization and the digital lifestyle thus reach their limits. Digitality and «Design Your Life» are the contemporary approaches that transcend these limits. Digitality is the next stage in the evolution of digitization. But what does the perspective of digitality mean for the customer journey and storytelling? What we need in the age of digitality is something that has always been important: meaning, reason, and a sense of proportion. The connection between tradition and innovation. Harnessing digital opportunities while preserving analog potential. No matter how much the technical landscape has changed, the fundamentals of human behavior and needs have remained the same: People love experiences and stories—that is, the «customer journey,» »experience,» and «storytelling.» And both require one essential element: content. It comes down to the fundamental questions: What is my content (content refers to all forms of material, but also products)? What story do I want to tell based on my content? How do I accompany my customers on their journey toward or with my product?
Consumer Experience in Cross-Media Content Management
Creating experiences and telling stories—where it makes sense. Online and offline. Tailored to the values of people in the digital world. So that brand identity becomes part of the target audience’s identity. Cross-media content and identity management—digital and analog. The central building block here is the content itself.
- The content must be customized and tailored to the needs of my clients.
- The aesthetics of the content play a major role—not only in terms of design, but also in terms of clarity.
- Content, journey, and storytelling must serve to connect people in two ways: first, by connecting people with one another—primarily companies with customers, and secondarily, where applicable, customers with one another. Second, they must facilitate the integrated use of various media and technologies: both digital and analog media are equally important—this is often referred to as cross-media content management.
«Henssler's Quick Fix»
One example is «Henssler’s Quick Fix.» The concept of «quick cooking» is promoted by renowned Michelin-starred chef Steffen Henssler across various online channels to appeal to an urban, working professional audience. The goal is for this audience to follow his channels and purchase Henssler-branded cooking products. The aesthetic of his content (videos, particularly on YouTube) is deliberately informal and imperfect—the camera shakes, and information such as the store address is handwritten on cardboard boxes and held up to the camera. Viewers get the feeling that they’re looking over the shoulder of a good friend. And even the Michelin-starred chef remains relatable by making small mistakes.
What we need in this digital age is something that has always been important: meaning, reason, and a sense of proportion.
Here, the interconnectedness takes place, on the one hand, through the comment feature on YouTube, as well as through references to other videos and the online store, where viewers can purchase the various products (ranging from Henssler’s spice blend to specialty cookware) featured in the videos. In addition to the digital platforms, there is, of course, the classic print cookbook. Its distinctive aesthetic helps the target audience feel an emotional connection to the protagonist. Henssler’s products, as a brand, can thus be integrated into the target audience’s value system. Apps and other tools are by no means sufficient. Rather, strategies and roadmaps focused on the target audience’s value system are crucial, along with a good mix of digital and analog elements. That is digitality.
Definition: Digitality
«Digitality,» a portmanteau of «digital» and «reality,» unlike «digitalization,» transcends the distinction between «digital» and «analog.» Digitality focuses on the interconnection between the digital and analog realms and emphasizes the interaction between digital-technical infrastructure, services, and products and the analog world (social, cultural, political, and economic). At the same time, “digitality” reveals how the concept of the lived world and spaces of interaction is expanding, as these spaces and places are now both “digital” and “analog.” This shift marks a move away from the notion of digital virtuality toward digital reality.
The Main Directions
Digitality has two main strands: the «culture of digitality» according to Stalder and «identities in digitality» according to Schier. Felix Stalder’s “Culture of Digitality” (2016) is particularly widespread in the humanities. “Identities in Digitality: From the ‘Digital Lifestyle’ to ‘Design Your Life’” (Schier 2018) offers a perspective that is more closely tied to everyday life and identity. This more practice-oriented perspective offers a wealth of solutions and answers to the problem of digital-analog imbalances.
* Dr. André Schier As the owner of nuw.digital, he advises organizations and individuals on their journey toward healthy living, working, and learning in a balance between the digital and analog worlds. He teaches in the Department of Marketing and Digital Media at FOM University of Applied Sciences in Cologne.
