7 Ways Social Media Has Disrupted Our Behaviour Forever

Social media, mobile and apps have chipped away at the foundation of traditional behaviour. The way we work and how we live is impacted by new technology. People are adapting and evolving continuously to technology disruptions.

Sharing cabs with strangers

As children we were all taught not to speak to strangers, leave alone meet anyone we didn’t know before. Today, young girls and guys confidently share their travel with complete strangers on ride-share services like OLA. And they don’t seem to have any complaints.

Renting our Rooms

On Airbnb, we rent a part of our home to total strangers. We see several listings on the site where all-women homes and elders-only homes let out a room in their homes, on daily rent and even serve meals for a fee.

Selling stuff

Years ago, we were sceptical, sometimes suspicious of the gas wala, postman or the courier guy who rang our doorbell. On OLX and Quickr, we sell stuff and strangers come home to see them, have a coffee and buy the stuff.

Leaving our secrets online

We dare to speak our minds on politics, social issues and even leave a trail of our personality online. While privacy was a concern in the old world, the brave new world is oblivious of privacy issues “checking in” wherever they are, announcing travel plans and sometimes even leaving behind details of their holiday resort for the world to see.

Saving our private photos on a cloud

Not long ago, we’d be careful to privately store our pictures, letters and videos of family events. All that has changed as we use Google Drive and DropBox like services to upload our family content online and leave it in the cloud.

Exposing our vulnerabilities

Not so long ago, people generally revealed less about their fears and doubts online. But the communication paradigm has changed today where we see CEOs talk about their anxieties, sporting greats reveal their nervousness before a major meet and cancer patients documenting their last days on a hospital bed.

Permissions to peek into our phones

The way we view our privacy offline is completely varied with online privacy, although the trace we leave on social networks is permanent. Our notions of privacy and confidentiality have undergone drastic changes like never before in history. We hardly hesitate when an app asks for permission to access our phone list and even send messages to them.

At the same time the alternative “dark social” movement is visible with the shift to private conversations on WhatsApp and SnapChat. These are more to keep away from the repercussions of public data from advertisers, marketers, activists, governments and parents.

This is sometimes surprising and at times scary. But, these are exciting times. Guess digital natives are revealing new behaviours that defy the best of psychologists and sociology researchers. One thing is sure, privacy may in future may be a major issue for governments and the people. But until then, I’m using the Bla Bla car and agreeing to all the terms and conditions of my torch app.