Cultural Context

The Cultural Context of 2008 revolved mostly around technology. Myspace, Facebook, the rise of Internet Dating, YouTube, and so much more ...

"Hollywood's Latest Hot Couple: TiVo and Netflix" By Rick Aristotle Munarriz November 3, 2008
"Yes, TiVo and Netflix finally announced the inevitable last week. Netflix subscribers will be able to stream many of the flicks on their rental queues through TiVo boxes. The service is currently being tested and should be available to all subscribers over the next few weeks. TiVo and Netflix are popular services for boob-tube buffs who enjoy filmed entertainment on their own terms."

Apple
"Apple's iPod revolutionized the way music was consumed" and now with the Apple iPhone we see an evolution where electronics are combined to make an even more efficient product. The iPhone is an ipod and a PDA in one, making the lives of consumers ever more convenient since they can now buy one product instead of 2. And when you throw high speed internet into the mix you cant help but get a generation who is obsessed with youTube and social networking.
The clip-culture popularity of Google's YouTube has brought digital video streaming to millions of laptops and mobile phones. An being able to access the internet from almost anywhere makes social networking sites increasingly popular.
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"Social Networking Sites Come of Age" 11/11/2008

"But from inauspicious beginnings, the phenomenon has gone from fad to fashion to part of the fabric of everyday life — with the world’s top five social networks boasting more than 370 million users, according to recent figures from the internet traffic monitor comScore. The strategy is to move beyond social networking and to class MySpace as a big media property, allowing the site to compete for larger media budgets. So when a company like McDonald’s or Toyota or Sony is trying to decide where to spend its money, they’re considering spending it on Yahoo, MySpace, or MSN.

So, if social networking is here to stay, where does it go next? Analysts suggest that one crucial area is mobile services — which have great reach, and, theoretically, could be easier to charge for. Twitter, a mobile social network, has generated lots of buzz (though precious little income), and this time last year Google bought up a potential rival, the Finnish company Jaiku. At the same time, the arrival of more GPS units in phones is slowly starting to make the location-sensitive social site a real possibility."
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"Internet Dating" Courtny Gerrish
"Looking for love? Let your mouse do the prowling. Tens of millions of Americans rely on cyberspace to track down the love of their life. There are many dating sites online. And you get what you pay for. Some free sites are open to anyone. Other more expensive services do background checks on subscribers before allowing them to become members."
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Implications:
In a day an age when people are so busy with their everyday lives, it seems every aspect of life is being revolutionized to be more efficient and convenient and that even includes the world of dating.