Welcome to mid-2011. The digital-crazed era when…

• The Indian janta supports The Fight Against Corruption by putting it up as their Twitter status
• Bands and Restaurants tell us to LIKE them on Facebook
• Niche Boutiques let us know about merchandise stocks via Black Berry Messenger
• Newspapers tell us to check out their Exclusive Bloggers at their newly ramped Websites.

As marketers, we obediently repeat the mantra “OUR BRAND MUST BE ON DIGITAL.” So while we’re going ahead and taking that digital jump because of the Mass Adoption of Digital, let’s take a look at what’s happening at an Individual Level.

Starting this week, I’ll be featuring individuals of varying demographics and documenting how they & their social circles are using “digital.” This week, I begin with a digital snapshot of my personal usage of "Digital" (digital = web & mobile).

subject nidhi makhija
demographic 18-25, SEC A, Female, Single, college graduate
techno-graphic MacBook/1GB DataCard, BlackBerry/Unlimited Internet (formerly iPhone 2G & 3G)
socio-graphic BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Gmail

PERSONAL USAGE:

- BlackBerry Messenger for personal & social survival. Planning weekends, party invites, general staying in touch as BBM is perceived as "better" over SMS as it is free (post a monthly payment)

- Twitter for long rants, commonly around Traffic, Corruption, Bad Customer Service, Cricket, Movies. Very one-way, and usually in search for Sympathy.

- Facebook for work, work work; to keep in touch with global network of non-Indian friends. Also as a residual habit that is slowly fading away (notifications are merely spam now)

- YouTube – video sharing in groups of 4+, recently inspired by Rebecca Black. Oddly – YouTube only happens in groups of 4+ be it at work, or an IPL party or Holi party. Thereby rendering YouTube ads as mostly un-read.

- Email - as an alternative to SMS to keep in touch with global network, and also bored friends in Mumbai who swap sporadically between Facebook Group messages, BlackBerry Messenger Group messages & Email. Very schizophrenic.

USAGE IN SOCIAL CIRCLE

“Acc. to my 17yr old brother, he and his friends use Facebook less now. Why? You can use BBM for everything [status, pics, groups]”

“My maid just showed me a video of 2 dudes dancing in a cat & dog suit, on her mobile phone. First encounter with MMS, and how!”

“My family & I don’t get the iPad appeal. We’re too used to surfing the web with multiple browser windows open. Typing isn't easy either.”

“My mother needed a photo from a friend. Her friend insisted on BBM-ing it to me instead of emailing it to my mum. Such is technology now.”

*

Marketer's Verdict: BlackBerry Messenger is wildly underestimated as a social network. MMS is a viable channel for Mass Market Reach. Mobile *is* the new game changer.

Stay tuned for our next digital consumption snapshot. Bookmark this blog.