Just as I was thinking that the changes were slowing down and things in our digital world may have been stabilizing a bit, a new report surfaced on the use of camera phones. It’s not that I want things to stop changing, quite the contrary, I enjoy seeing the changes literally right before my eyes, I just didn’t want to have to keep my eyes out for yet another trend. It looks like I have one more to add to my list.

Much to the chagrin of the U.S. Postal Service post cards may be losing their position as the preferred way to say “we wish you were here”. According to a report released on July 8, 2008 by comScore M:Metrics:

photo messaging from mobile phones has grown 60 percent in the United States over the past year and 16 percent in Europe, where photo messaging got an earlier start. As the mercury climbs in the summer months, so does the usage of photo messaging in the United States, where for the past three years, photo messaging rates have been higher than average in July and August.

In a statement released with the report, Mark Donovan, senior vice president at comScore stated:

Summer vacations provide the perfect context for photo messaging, as the utility of instantly sharing a holiday moment with loved ones is undeniably compelling. The cameraphone could replace the postcard as the preferred mode to say ‘wish you were here,’ as even parents and grandparents are snapping and sending photos from their mobile devices.

Interestingly enough, the M:Metrics Benchmark Study seems to indicate that the photo messaging growth in the U.S. is coming from all age demographic segments, with the fastest growth coming from teens and those older than 35. I guess camera phones are no longer solely the province of kids and geeks. Is this a harbinger of things to come? Are we slowly becoming a digital society where much of our correspondence, transactions and interactions happen digitally? If I were a betting man, I would say that the answer is a definitive yes. Technology has simply become the mechanism that replaces the need for a third party to intervene. This seems to be consistent with a similar idea held by Deb Westphal, Managing Partner of Toffler Associates, that was posted on the Internet Evolution blog. Deb thinks that in the future we will have at least three jobs: the one we get paid for, taking care of our families, and the one that entails taking care of the activities that used to be done by others.

Today we see a glimmer of our future third jobs when we book our own travel plans, do our own banking online, or step up to a kiosk to pay for our groceries at a store that no longer employs checkers. In the future “prosumer” economy, where consumer and producer merge, we will become our own travel agents, bank tellers, store clerks, etc. — and our own consumers of these services. We must prepare ourselves for a future where our third job workload continues to accelerate and grow. We will not only book our own travel, but cater our own flights and do our own security checks. We will not only do our banking online, but we will also manage our “financial network” to maintain high credit ratings and customize flexible loans through individuals as well as institutions. We will manage our own health records and conduct many of our own medical procedures. We will plan and create our own entertainment experiences before ever entering into an amusement park to enjoy them. We will teach new skills to others in response to them teaching us.

It’s an interesting concept, except I’d say that it’s more than a concept. I see at play, in a growing fashion, in my own personal life. Technology is playing more and more of a role in everything I do. I don’t have a physical bank but rather do business via direct deposit, atm and online banking. I rarely, if ever, send anything letter sized via the USPS, UPS or other carrier, preferring email, text messages, tweets, etc. I don’t go to the movies and those movies that I do see are rented “on demand”. I don’t shop in a brick-and-mortar store unless it’s for groceries or I need something right away preferring to do my research and bargain shopping online. I don’t book travel or hotels via an agent, I book it online. I guess most of my life has already gone digital by choice. The only types of consumer related behavior that I conduct in the physical world are automobile related (gas, oil changes, repairs, etc.) and going to the doctor/taking my dog to the vet.

Perhaps some things will (and should) never be virtual, but if you were to have asked me ten or fifteen years ago, I would have told you that it was possible but not likely and that it sounded more like a dream. Well it appears that I am living that dream. I’m not advocating isolating myself from others, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I am probably more connected today than I have ever been in my entire life. With that said, eliminating the need to rely on others to get things done that I can more efficiently/effectively do myself allows me to…well spend more time doing things myself.

If you are interested in the ComScore M:Metrics report check it out the Press Release. For more on Deb’s thoughts on the rise of the prosumer, check out her Internet Evolution blog post: Online Activity Will Lead to a Third Job for Most

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