BookShelf: Learn About a Lifestyle

I have been reading an interesting book about a thought provoking lifestyle, so I thought I would share. Entitled Leisureville and written by Andrew Blechman, the volume provides both a history and a set of sociological observations about America's retirement communities.

One of the places he focuses on will -- well, you will think I am making this up. Located about 90 minutes north of Orlando, FL is The Villages, a set of gated communities that will one day house 110,000 (!) people over 50. That's two Palo Altos of mature people all living inside some gates.



This is a community so big and action packed that this site has thousands of pages of info about the community and its goings on.

But population is not the only interesting thing about the place.The community travels mostly by golf cart, and most of the residents do the vast majority of their living within the gates. The golf carts alone are a sight to behold. There's an entire culture round pimping your cart. Check out this Flicker photo stream!

Many streets have piped music outside. On certain days there are community line dances in the public squares. The population is so large relative to the rest of the three counties (!) it lies in that The Villages residents have a strong degree of control over county government budgets, which the author says has negative effects on the school budgets, naturally.

There is, apparently, a happening pick up scene, and you may be surprised to learn that the rates of growth in venereal disease infection are among the highest for seniors. Online chat and dating are old hat for many Villagers. And no that isn't funny. It is fact. Though the photo below is a little funny. ;-)



I could go on and on, but you should read the book. And bear in mind that while the author disapproves of the idea of what he calls "age segregated" communities, clearly MILLIONS of older Americans do not. Any book like this is a point of view, rather than exposition.



So why am I writing about this in a digital marketing blog? Well, it really brought home to me how much of a bubble I live in -- a world where people generally eschew gated communities, plan their lives by PDA or cell phone, and know their Dopplr from their Revver from their FlyPapr.

And how as digital marketers it is very easy to become so obsessed with the mechanics of our litle corner of digital media that we forget to consider how it complements a full range of lifestyles. If indeed it DOES complement a full range of lifestyles.

And that people of all walks of life and all ages are increasingly living in ways traditionalists would find quite unusual. Quite unusual. Which should remind us all that in order to do digital marketing we need to DEEPLY understand the daily existences of the people we want to have invite our technologies into their lives.



Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.