https://durumis.com/ko/@ryan-reason/untact-trend-focus-on-the-deeper-social-structure-2-cpmdfkos

Continuing from the 2nd post...

Four Deep Structures to Observe

Although there are various 'deep structures' that concretize human behavior, they are somewhat abstract. Therefore, I would like to suggest the following four as clues for understanding future behavioral changes.

A. Finding a Sense of Belonging, How to Feel Connected to Others.

Humans are social beings. The culture and economic structure of our society reflect our instinct to physically gather close together in order to connect and belong with others. However, COVID-19 led this instinct to a conflict between individual safety and community responsibility, presenting a strong justification for distancing ourselves from the acts of connection with others that we were so used to, such as attending sports games, working in offices, participating in concerts and local festivals, meetings, and meals together.

Relatively new forms of 'together' such as conference calls using Zoom, online gaming, virtual concerts and fashion festivals, and watching e-sports are already on the rise, and are changing the ways people used to be together. However, it is not yet clear to what extent these replacements of physical proximity and contact with contact-free options will satisfy people's need for connection and belonging, or how these behaviors will evolve in the future.

Now we need to question what the meaning of terms like connection or community might become in the future, or how our lives will change if social distancing remains a natural distance between people.

What will be the new form of belonging in a world where people are more socially distant than before, and what kind of corporate support will be needed to fulfill this unmet need for social belonging? This could be an opportunity to redefine the productivity of employees experiencing work-from-home and the scope of possibilities for customer loyalty to a brand.

B. Consciousness and Habits That Fill Everyday Life, How to Structure Time and Use It Meaningfully.

The way we structure and use the time given to us during the day has meaning in building or securing a sense of control and stability in our lives. This includes waking up in the morning and eating an apple, doing a set exercise routine, working five days a week and taking the weekend to go out for a change of scenery, participating in family or friends' birthdays, weddings, and funerals.

Moreover, how we organize our relationship with time is also very important in business. The now-ubiquitous trend of miniaturizing existing cell phones was based on the value of smooth communication in business settings for entrepreneurs, and air travel, with its goal of 'fast sharing of knowledge,' has grown into an industry and culture in itself, in the form of business trips abroad.

Now we can directly experience and often see around us how COVID-19 has wiped away the relationship people have had with time in an instant. How can the meaning of 'working hours' be redefined when there is no commute and the office is at home? What meaning will summer have for local residents if people in the city cannot visit local tourist attractions on vacation? What will happen to the meaningful moments in our lives if we have to celebrate with loved ones from afar on a wedding or holiday?

For brands that have heavily relied on this type of occasion-based marketing during the pre-COVID era, this change in deep structure raises the question of how the everyday lives of new customers will be reconstructed and how they can reveal the presence of their brand within it based on this understanding.

C. Sense of Scale, How to Experience Intimacy and Connectedness Between People.

COVID-19 has drastically reduced the distance people could travel, or at least consider traveling, forcing them to reconsider a lifestyle centered around local communities rather than global ones, and drastically shrinking the physical range of their everyday experiences. This, in turn, signifies a change in relationships between people, and through this, people's familiarity with intimacy and comfortable distance in conversations, as well as their perception of how the other person is connected to their own lives, can become a constant source of change.

So, how will this changed perception of each other change the way brands influence customers? Or can this changed perception of intimacy and distance change the meaning that brands feel close or related to themselves?

For companies that are investing in marketing and e-commerce platforms through digital channels, raising this question can be a key opportunity to reconsider the meaning and potential of their relationship with customers.

D. Presence in Public Spaces, How to Play a Social Role in Front of Others.

Social scientists have observed and understood that our pondering of how we position ourselves in public places is a strategic act of 'impression management', where we build our own identity and change our roles to make others feel comfortable. People portray themselves differently on the streets, on social media channels, from their appearance at home, or in private conversations with those close to them. In other words, this change in our role and behavior in public spaces is an implicit social skill.

Due to COVID-19, people are now pondering new roles on the stage of public space. How are people reacting in a situation where a single mask is being used to evaluate and criticize based on moral and social norms about people? How are they experiencing the increased state control over individuals? Or what behaviors have transitioned online that were previously possible in public spaces? And how can brands approach and build relationships with this new audience of roles?

The answers to these questions can provide meaningful clues for the future spatial design and operation of restaurants and retail stores.

It is clear that COVID-19 has been a huge catalyst for our society to realize its limitations and invest in change, like an alien invasion.

And it is essentially meaningless to predict how long this process of anxiety and stagnation will last, or to what extent it will lead to sustained change. The same is true for the possibilities of changes in the deep social structures mentioned in this article.

The existing social system may be able to weather this COVID-19 crisis without much shaking, or it may bring about fundamental and lasting changes in one or two areas mentioned above, or it may even eliminate the possibility of returning to the previous state that we expect, pushing our society in a completely new direction.

One thing for sure is that if you want to be the first to know what is possible and want to prepare for it, focusing on these deep structures could be the best investment you can make right now for a sustainable growth strategy.