The growth of video games has facilitated a culture that is not immune to the idea of an altered reality. A young girl in Colorado was beaten to death when a family member and friend decided to act out a scene from a violent video game they had been playing. These two teens were tried as adults in the case facing murder charges.



The alternate state many of the world's population are discovering is that they can effectively remove outside audio influence through the use of a portable device.

The morning commute can be significantly altered if an individual connects two earbuds to their audio sensory units (ears) and view the world around them through a lens of their own creation without the input of those they may encounter.

Others can download and carry with them video streams that can effectively remove traces of the world they may have normally faced in a typical commute.

We need to realize the growing effect audio and video streams have on the culture at large. Many prefer text or instant messages to face-to-face conversation. Some will avoid making a cell phone call that may require less time in favor of an extended session of text messaging.

Children twelve and younger use services like Neomail to achieve the same results and that trend will follow them into adulthood.

Right or wrong is not the emphasis of this article. However, the effects are worth noting and it is also important from a marketing perspective to understand that this phenomenon is ultimately facilitated through catering to an on-line, on-demand generation.

Cable channels are catering to this demand with full blown advertising campaigns about the video streaming opportunities that exist for customers wanting to download and view full episodes of their favorite shows.

Where once an individual either read a newspaper, found themselves deep in thought or ultimately striking up a conversation with another commuter the whole notion of commute is bundled in interactive components in cars and portable devices.

These gadgets are rendering family conversation obsolete in many family trips. Dad may be asking the on board computer to dial a phone number while mom may be listening to an audio stream. The children may be either tuned into their own personal mp3 players or watching either a DVD or a video stream on their portable devices.

It is possible to participate in a family trip with everyone having a completely unique memory of the experience, but rarely involving other family members.

Gone are the days when children fought over what space was theirs in the back seat. Parents no longer have to devise games to play along the route, nor do they have to pass along traveling songs because nobody is listening.

Family members may email each other much more often today because it is often easier than trying to remember important details for those times when schedules do coincide.

This change is worth noting in the way you as an online business seek to connect with your customers and potential consumers in ways that cater to an ever growing change in how the individual interacts with the world around them.