Mass Media Migration -- WhatsApp?! 

"People moving out, people moving in...🎝" "What's Going On...?🎜"

Constant, Continuous Connectivity: For most business leaders and us 'end users' (i.e., purchasers and users of stuff, including messaging apps), one word that is always part of the conversation is speed ("I feel the need, the need for speed" -  Maverick to Goose in "Top Gun"). A constant stream of new digital technologies is introducing previously unimagined levels of connectivity, data access, and automation...(including this blog😀). Constant -- even during the brief time since I conceived of this particular post and started committing it to print (about 24 hours), it is not only likely but certain that a plethora of new apps have been developed, patented, and downloaded by many of you (maybe even in your sleep, depending on the "terms of agreement" you checked), which in turn displace others which have fallen out of favor or popularity, even maligned due to allegations, innuendos, and rumors which of course progress at gigabit speed (replacing warp speed, way too slow) on the internet.

Our Digital Fixation: In psychology, the term fixation relates to having attachments to people or things that persist from childhood onwards, even well into adulthood ('boys and their toys'? - see "Top Gun"). Freud believed that persistent fixations were due to unresolved issues in previous stages of psychological development. A professor I had in Behavioral Psychology, on the other hand, informed us that 'digital fixation' in particular was benign, simply related to motor overflow, needing to keep our hands busy while we are otherwise at rest (like while sitting and zooming all day long now; no wonder I have so many toys on my desk). An updated version of DF includes "an unbiased, uncensored blog and online resource dedicated to all things digital and a bit of everything else" (perhaps even including Freud).

Digital Diaspora, Signaling Change: Historically, diasporas occur due to both forced and planned migrations, dispersions (more often the former). The journey of these communities is never easy, unencumbered, frequently occurring over long distances, over difficult terrain, and without many resources beyond the bare necessities and perhaps a few cherished items they were able to stow away. In this digital age, the word community itself has changed dramatically and often ill defined, as such 'communities' are constantly streaming back and forth from one app to another, sometimes without even knowing why, based on rumors, innuendos, and many times without even knowing what data (i.e., 'possessions) they are taking with them or leaving behind (how many of you actually read every word in the "privacy policy" or knew what they meant, given the internet jargon du jour?).

Follow (or Block) the Leader: Even if you are merely a casual, occasional user of messaging apps you are aware of the mass migration that has taken place over the past week or so. Encrypted messaging services like "Signal"  have gained (almost overnight) popularity as people have become more concerned with safeguarding their information (prized possessions in this context). However, it is also occurring in a wake of confusion (see "Ball of Confusion" - Temptations) over an updated terms of service notification from the Facebook owned messaging service WhatsApp. "Signal" also received endorsements from such notable Silicon Valley figures as Elon Musk (whose two words "Use Signal" led not only to a mass migration to Signal, a 4200% increase in downloads from January 6-10, but also a huge surge in the stock price in "Signal Advance", a somewhat obscure medical device company--hazards of truncated language, rush to judgement). It is also noteworthy that the jump to Signal came on the heels of the upheaval on the Capitol steps, and moves by Amazon, Apple, and Google to cut ties with "Parler", the social network service favored by members of the far right (I'm sure you were aware of all these nuances and 'digital dynamics', and make your download decisions from a position of due diligence and viral virtue, right?).

Friend or Foe, The Cookie Crumbles: All this, occurring shortly after the CEO's of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google were called out by members of the United States Congress. A congressional grilling, which included issues of  whether they now wield too power and dominance, as well as preferential treatment. While ostensibly being our collective watchdogs, the panel of overseers were revealed as being not only ill prepared but also fickle, which probably extends to most of us. That is, while we were initially enamored with these companies and what convenience they can bring to us, we have become leery of the potential intrusions and abuses of privacy, among other things. 

Through Our Own PRISM: Just over a week ago, a ruling of a U,K. judge blocked the attempts of the U.S. to extradite the Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, which in turn earned a favorable tweet from the NSA 'whistleblower' Edward Snowden, who continues to live in exile in Russia. The primary issues being matters of national security versus our 'right-to-know' and otherwise First Amendment rights. How you view this and what side you come down on depends in part on your primary political convictions, whereas at other times can also be a product of incidental experiences beyond our control or personal choice. Just ask Will Smith, who played the role of a lawyer and unsuspecting target of NSA agents conspiring to assassinate a congressman in the 1998 film "Enemy of the State", a film which became noteworthy for its prescience regarding issues of national security and privacy (such as Snowden's revelations about the NSA's PRISM surveillance program).

Terms of Agreement, Privacy, Engagement: Read yours lately? Perhaps you will now, maybe even before downloading you next app. In the meantime, I have some COOKIES to bake, having just downloaded a great recipe from Pinterest...