Box UK: BBC Innovation Labs Blog

As we head towards our first meeting with the BBC following the labs, I can’t wait to get stuck in. Funny thing is, I can’t wait for a lot of things (like Web Scene Meet-Up 4 which we have just arranged for 25 September!). I remember a time before the internet when people used to queue in shops and sit in traffic and wait for deliveries and things to arrive in the post, but thanks to the internet I think we have become a less patient society.

Having a huge wealth of information available on demand is fantastic, if I want to know what the weather forecast is going to be, I’ll just hop on the BBC website, I don’t need to wait and catch the forecast on the TV. Why waste my time queuing up at banks and shops when I can sit in the comfort of my own home and sort everything out online?

Our lives are faster due to the speed that we can now get hold of information and make plans. So does that mean that we’re now being more efficient? Does it mean we’re more organised and can manage our time better? Does it mean that we’re more knowledgeable?

In theory I think we probably are. We are now better at processing information in a fast and efficient manor, because we have to. Apparently the average working person in the UK will receive 40 emails per day! Whereas before email and the internet became common place you would receive your post in the morning which you dealt with, and then maybe one or two phone calls throughout the day. The normal office based working person is now constantly supplied with information and tasks throughout the day which need to be dealt with, so yes we should be more productive.

But are we also better at wasting time? 40 emails a day, that’s 40 times you’ll be interrupted by a little flashing icon in the bottom corner of your screen. And I wonder out of those 40 emails how many are relevant to you, how many have you been copied in on ‘for your information’, how many are your mates asking you if you want to go out on Friday or (in my case) your colleagues asking whose turn it is to make the tea? How much time do you spend pointlessly surfing the internet for rubbish, browsing Facebook, watching random videos on Youtube?

Are we also less sociable? Social Networking websites are very popular, but is social networking? Or even just being social? Why would you want to get dressed up and go out to catch up with your friends in the pub when you can sit in your pyjamas and write on their wall? Why make an effort to go out and meet people when you can just join dating sites, chat rooms and forums?

I think potentially the answer is ‘yes’ to all of the above and I guess the answer is all about striking a balance.  But I wonder if the next step in popular web culture is sites such as Smynx (which is now in beta form for those of you that can’t wait for the official release) that span both online and offline activities and encourage users to get away from their screens and actually do something?  I guess only time and trends will tell, and I can’t wait to find out!

*** Claire