The evolution of human behaviour and technology

With the advent of the mobile phone, something happened – human behaviour started to change. The way we communicate with each other and the way we access information changed forever.  People were free to roam. No longer did we need to locate a desktop computer or go to a library to have access to almost any subject in the world.

Now, there are new technologies on the horizon that continue to evolve human behavior. With organisations deploying complex algorithms that track our activities and leverage the data for enhanced marketing and advertising – human behaviour continues to change. Some question if this change is for better or worse, but the fact is that evolution will never stop, and we are seeing technology as a major catalyst during this phase of human evolution.

First, giving consumers access to GPS devices allowed us to more easily travel and find our way around cities. GPS combined with big data helps us find short cuts around traffic. Now as organisations leverage big data and beacon technology to provide more contextual advertising, it is important we deploy this technology responsibly to help evolve humanity in a positive way. This means using open networks to benefit the consumers, the retailers, and the marketers and allowing easy access for end users, as well as an intuitive opt-out process while maintaining respect for the level of desired privacy.

It is also our responsibility as the marketers who will be deploying these new technologies in our advertising campaigns as we target specific behavioral markets to ensure that the content we create remains helpful and relevant for the end user.