There is something fundamentally being missed.
IT media devices and systems are spread across demographics doing their own bit…as programmed. There are researchers in industry and universities working 24/7 (cliché of the century) on the future of these systems and devices extrapolating formulations of the next ethereal environment.
The mobile today allows you to connect with others, gives information, is a personal assistant, etc; the PC connects you to the world web, helps in computing, designing, plays games with you, etc; TV gives you news, infotainment, etc; Ipods, radios, etc provide music, information and so on; and newspapers, magazines doing their own thing.
This was only to put the context in place before I ask the hollow question!
The primary need of food, clothing and shelter, lets for the time being assume has been satisfied for everyone in the world. Then what is the next level of need and are we satisfying it?
A housewife of a mid/upper middle home has all these devices and uses these as situation or mood permits. For information on baby health or to see photos of a family wedding she checks the internet on the PC, to speak to her husband or sister from anywhere in the house uses the mobile and watches soaps on TV. Have we satisfied her needs, one might say, yes we have, her information and entertainment needs. But if one were to probe deeper into her dynamic archetypal self or a collective of such and understand her next level of needs we might come up with propositions for a whole new model of product system. At this point I wouldn’t want to call it anything, but for dialogue sake let’s call it the ‘box’. Here the ‘box’ would grow out of pure need based thinking rather than a business based thinking. The earthen pot has not evolved out of a business need but a fundamental human need. If one were to apply this philosophy then the ‘box’ will be a more meaningful provider. Convergence of technology is being talked about and being implemented today, but it seems to me that it has a business need approach more than the actual human need.
To illustrate an example, a large pc component manufacturer had initiated a project of providing computers for rural school children in India involving other technology and design partners. The PC was designed, fabricated and tested, but the project was later put on hold or shelved as per paper news for business reasons. Now the whole idea in this case was satisfying a need of providing PCs for rural school children, but the point being missed out is that the object or device has already been defined before establishing the real need. Maybe because the project was floated by a PC tech company!!
There is something hollow about this business of tech devices being flooded; if one were to identify the right ingredients of the ‘box’ we have a more meaningful future idea.
These thoughts are my personal deliberations through observations and trying to make connections of things around and more importantly instinctive!!(read Indian or rather human)
