Future Foundation reveals redefinition of leisure moments

Future Foundation, the leading international consumer futures business has released new findings from their latest emerging media trends, Performative Leisure and Smart Boredom.

The study explains how technology is changing what was often previously known as 'downtime', with consumers using ‘leisure moments’ to record real-time records of achievement.

The study, giving new insights in media and communications insights, explain:

Performative Leisure
In the past, the whole process of leisure gratification occurred in stages; we embraced our chosen pursuits for the feelings of escapism, indulgence and unbridled enjoyment they could deliver and then shared details with friends only once the concert had finished, the waiter had cleared away the plates, the party was, as it were, very much over.

In the current decade, however, leisure is undergoing a real-time revolution, one in which acquiring social capital has become an instant, on-the-go affair. No longer are we willing to wait until the credits roll, we use smart and social technology to showcase our views as the drama unfolds; no more will we delay broadcasting our presence at the trendy restaurant or holiday destination when a live stream of updates will allow us to seize the social zeitgeist. And thus has the strategic 'tweet' become key to status enhancement.

The result is what we might term performative leisure - the consumer’s growing willingness (and ever improving ability) to use leisure moments as real-time records of achievement. As we define it here, this is a trend which will exert an ever more powerful impact on how we manage and present our online lives.

This will be the decade in which leisure becomes much smarter and, in a sense, active. Will we simply spectate when we can use real-time services to facilitate a more pro-active form of participation? Will we tolerate any type of delay when apps such as SocialCam permit us to upload videos to social networks while they are still being recorded? We rather think not.

Of course, we recognise that there will always be those who use leisure time to actively switch off. But more of us will maintain our social CV while on-the-go; more consumers will use leisure to earn instant social status.

Smart Boredom
Parallel to the development of an ever-diversifying leisure market, consumer attitudes towards downtime (ie those moments / minutes in the day when there is no pressure on us to do anything in particular) are evolving. 

Taking time to chill-out, relax or reflect would be considered worthwhile in itself, enabling us to restore energy levels and manage stress, readying us to involve ourselves in new tasks and activities. Indeed, for many individuals, the notion of downtime is associated with a sense of emotional luxury and indulgence.

This is not to say that actual boredom or laziness is something that is becoming more socially revered. Indeed, consumers often use quiet time constructively by undertaking low-level activities that continue to add value to their lives in some way. 

Nowadays, dead time is rarely completely vacant at all but occupied by passive but ultimately rewarding/useful activities such as surfing the web, using a mobile phone app to check a bank balance or chatting on Skype while watching TV.

Thus our smart boredom trend has been massively facilitated by digital innovations that enable us to live in a constantly connected world, continuously providing us with ever more convenient solutions for so many daily tasks. Indeed, consumers connected to the mobile web can accomplish several activities with minimum effort. 

Mobile social networking, online banking, shopping on-the-go all invite the consumer to enrich any spare moment with purposeful activity.

For more information go to www.futurefoundation.net or read the Future Foudation Blog at blog.futurefoundation.net

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