My extended life…?

Brands and products help me form the identity I desire, my Smartphone aids my mind in keeping track of all the things I would otherwise forget - but have my IPhone also become the main facilitator of my social life? I’m puzzled.

I have long been aware of the fact, that in the eyes of my social surroundings, I become a certain person, when I’m seen with my IPhone tightly clutched in my hand. Namely the choice of brand forms a clear picture of me being “a Apple person”.

My IPhone does of cause not have this special ability, all the brands and products I’m seen with has this ability. We call it “the extended self” – as we extend a desired part of ourselves on to a brand or product in order to express part of who we are or want to become. The active environmentalist will for example most likely choose organic products and a high-society success will want show himself in the presence of high-end brands to maintain his image.    

Recently I became acquainted with the term “the extended mind” and it got me thinking - especially about the relationship I have with my IPhone.  

The term “the extended mind” is used in psychology to explain the displacement of cognitive processing onto either a physical object or a social context. As an example a person with Alzheimer’s may rely on a notebook to remember how to perform a task such as making lunch, and most of us tend to use our friends or family to help weigh different options when making a decisions. In other words, things and tasks that would otherwise occupy our mind is sort of “outsourced” to another entity.

I for one use my IPhone for keeping track of my appointments, my contacts and their birthdays. Through Facebook and Linkedin I even keep track of their whereabouts and careers. I check my bank, my mail and my to-do list – heck I barely know what time, day or week it is without consulting my beloved Smartphone. It should be safe to say, that I extend my mind onto my phone.

But what about the social networking and communicative aspects? As mentioned, I keep track of my friends and family, by using my smartphone as a gateway for all my online-social-interaction. I’m on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Messenger, Google+ and I receive text messengers, mail and of cause something totally old school called “calls”.

My IPhone provides versatile possibilities for interaction, which suits my dynamic way of life, wherein time is a critical resource. It allows me to nurture, sustain and live my social life regardless of where I’m at and what I’m doing. It allows me to extend my presence onto multiple settings, and aids me in forming my “online-social-me”.

I can’t help wondering, can a new marketing term be coined? Should we begin to talk of “the extended (social) life”?

How would such a term influence upcoming marketing approaches? My first assumption will be, we must seek to integrate everything we do in the Smartphone medium, and begin to move away from distinguishing between the notion of “online” and “offline” communication. If Smartphones truly are an extension of our selves, our minds and our (social) lives, they have also become a valuable entry point to our consciousnesses – and that is in my opinion worth giving some more thought.