The Return of IRL
#DeleteFacebook has yet to be an action of any significant impact, but the sentiment behind it holds true. The cracks in living our lives online have started to show, so it’s no wonder people are starting to look back at the IRL (in real life) experiences they left behind.
Tech’s given us more of pretty much everything. We have more convenience through services like UberEats, more entertainment at our fingertips through Netflix and more information coming at us every second.
We have more thanks to tech, but the price we’ve paid in some instances are tangible connections.
Tapping Into the Desire for IRL
The dating site Bumble tapped into this when they launched The Hive, an in-real-life pop-up for daters to meet in person. Who would’ve thought! People meet and go on a date right away if they find someone they like. No swiping necessary.
In the age of digital connectivity, people are reclaiming their need for personal touch. Sites like CuddleComfort have tapped into this. Users can go there to book cuddle sessions with professional cuddlers. This may be a bit of an overcorrection to a tech-connected society, but the sheer fact that this exists and has gained some degree of traction shows the lengths people will go to in order to take back part of the personal connections they’ve left behind.
The desire for IRL can even be found in online shopping. 55% of online shoppers want to make returns in person. Going online for returns just doesn’t cut it, so the startup Happy Returns aims to fill that void. They allow people to make returns while interacting with a human being.
Digital Fatigue is Here
Fatigue in the digital world has started to set in, and we can see this in everything from dating to shopping. Will the tech-infused culture we’ve built our lives around go away? No. But don’t expect the human desire to for IRL moments of escape to go away either.
There’s going to be balance. There’s going to be a growing number of real-life experiences that invite people to reconnect with each other and their communities.