I was recently surprised by an advertisement for a shampoo that once again presents the benefits of a molecule with a clever name. Nothing unusual, and since I am almost bald, how did it catch my attention?
The advertisers had the idea to stand out from the crowd by adding the little "extra" to make the product "remarkable": a personal coach.
Would this coach be in charge of anticipating all your requirements? Such as suggesting the ideal date for your next colouring, the right conditioner, taking into account your hair texture?
This coach everyone dreams about is in fact a smartphone application: now even mass-market consumer products integrate their software.
Does this mean that the software becomes a differentiating element?
An application for every moment of life
Throughout the year, the actors of the digital economy (AFDEL, Syntec, Cluster Edit, Medinsoft, EFEL power...) are in close contact with the players of the digital economy, the observation is irrefutable: "Software devours the world" to quote Nicolas Colin.
Every act in our lives now finds its support through an application, whether it is to book a hotel (Lastroom, Hotels), make sure that the chosen restaurant is worthy of interest (TripAdvisor) or take a "taxi" that accepts the credit card without question (Uber).
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When I talk about this "digital revolution" to people around me, the confident (of which I am a part) believe that if brands know more about our tastes and habits, we will necessarily benefit in the end by consuming better and being better informed.
On the other hand, the distrustful ones do not want any intrusion in their private circle and think that revealing their consumer intimacy is synonymous with a loss of autonomy and free will: "Why let others influence me when I want to remain master of my choices? »
Jeff Jarvis states: "In official speeches, companies own their customers, control their distribution, sign exclusive contracts, block the way to their competitors (...) The Internet is turning the tables and breaking down the barriers to entry. The internet despises secrecy and rewards openness, it prefers collaboration over ownership."
The software catalyst of a collective intelligence?
We are no longer in an approach where we have to question the merits of software, since it is everywhere and interferes in the smallest details of our lives and invites us to get closer beyond our usual circles. Potentially an isolated person with a smartphone is a link in a formidable collective intelligence.
So yes, it's ubiquitous. Yes, it's inevitable. Software is transforming our world.
As a publisher, we must keep in mind that in addition to the service provided, we must encourage users to forge links between them, whether digital or physical. To simply live better in a globalized world.
The lines of code are still generated by human beings for human beings...
Jean-Baptiste SachotDirector of Development atAkuiteo
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