Podification - the unspoken Mega-trend
Cocooning has given way to a new form of cutting onesself off from the outside world - whilst impacting multiple industries, it's not fully understood or articulated as a trend.
Think of the last time you were on a bus or a train - how many people were listening to something on their pods or headphones? Avoiding all and any eye contact.
Or people in cars, how many are driving on their own, in their own mobile world?
“Podification” is an unspoken mega-trend - one that goes beyond simple ear-pods. The pods themselves are just a symptom.
Here’s a definition:
“Cutting yourself off from the outside world – creating your own bubble.”
It’s different to “cocooning” – which was about creating a cosy, warm-togetherness world. “Podification” is more a reaction against things you don’t want to take in.
Some more characteristics:
Zero cables = autonomous. Feeling untethered.
Insulation….from externals.
Creating your own fully immersive environment – podcasts, music, games – and taking it with you (who said you can’t?) It’s a mobile thing.
Cutting off/ cancelling out the “real world”.
Being empowered in space – your own captain in your very own mini-spaceship
Pretending real dangers don’t exist.
Signalling to the outside world – I’m immersed in my own world, not open for dialogue.
That’s just the bare bones.
Podification is a societal trend at the very least - with huge psychological and communicative implications that aren’t fully explored imho. Maybe because it goes against the much-invoked ideas of togetherness, tribes and community. And yes, there are downsides - anomie isn’t a hugely positive concept, for example.
But whilst maybe a potentially problematic societal development, it holds multiple commercial opportunities. Category-wise, it’s got much broader impact than say the immediate areas of Spotify and Audible, or the tech folk developing pods.
Take mobile homes - they’re booming, driven by the desire to be able to take your home with you, anytime, go anywhere, maybe even the alternative to a traditional holiday. Or for some a different retirement option when brick-and-mortar home ownership becomes unaffordable - or undesirable. It’s not about sleeping in a van - it’s an adventure, being the master of your own destiny, steering a direction at will.
Or cordless devices - allowing you to control and take things with you in a way that wasn’t previously possible. The cordless vacuum cleaner. The mobile piano. Cruises.
As I say, the reach of podification is huge - if you’d like to hear more details on it, get in touch!
Curious, as ever, as to others’ views.
(Visual: Vecteezy.com)