I think so, yes. Speaking from personal experience, I haven't had a TV for 5 years yet I am up-to-date with every show I like and watch Netflix like it's a religion (in the small amount of spare time I have). I can honestly say that TV, unlike shopping versus online shopping, doesn't adds any kind of value that online content doesn't. Even the social factor can be answered for w/ laptops... If you want to watch a movie together, laptops can also work just fine.

However, what I do not agree with is that on-the-go will replace static watching. I have never streamed video on my phone nor do I plan to. Your statement covers two different grounds that aren't necessarily related (on-the-go versus TV watching). I don't watch TV, but don't use on-the-go either. So I'm not sure where my argument falls. Good luck!

This is such an interesting topic. I really had to think about it for a few minutes and I'm still not a 100% convinced on the value of self-branding in an "official" sense. Everything we do online becomes a part of our brand- be it your professional comment on your company's profile or a really bad joke on your friend's photo. So no matter what, you are branding yourself on a daily basis, it just won't show up on your professional portfolio (or, so you think).

If we're strictly talking about self-branding for yourself vs self-branding for an organization, I 100% believe it should add value to yourself. Even IF you self-brand in the eyes of the organization you work for, it will follow you to every job you decide to do. So just being aware of how wide your scope can go, is enough to make a choice on which self-branding you choose to do.

I don't believe online privacy exists. However, I do believe that it is YOUR choice to be on social media at all. I understand this nation-wide panic about sharing information and "where does this information go?!" or "why can people use my information w/o my permission?", but there is a fine line between blaming the big corporations for using your info and posting ANY information online. Once something is on the internet, it is 100% impossible to ever take it off- even if it only existed for 10 seconds. So I say to stick to your guns and stand by all of your actions- whether you think they are private or not. It's not easy at all (maybe even impossible sometimes), but it's better than living in a world where you're scared of technological progression.

I also think it has a positive impact on our society, but I personally don't like it. It seems contradictory, but I'm still living in the times where I feel like going to a bar and meeting someone has a charm that online dating doesn't. However, you can connect with people on a whole different level digitally. This can either be beneficial (you can be yourself) or not (you can pretend to be someone you're not). I feel like the dangers of online dating are also higher than 'personal dating', because of exactly that: you don't know who you're talking to until you meet... And that can already be too late.

So I'm torn, but I feel like the success of online dating speaks for itself. Obviously it's doing something right, because most of my friends are on Tinder and I'm the odd one out. Online dating just creeps me out, but I'm sure that might change over time.

I am also not an avid participant in either of them, but I can see benefits in both. I imagine eSports lack that collective enthusiasm to cheering on particular teammates or yelling at the referee that conventional sporting events have, but there is still collectivity and competitiveness in eSports (albeit a more passive one).

The danger level is also relatively lower with eSports (I would imagine)... I can't really imagine someone hurting (or even fatally injuring) another person for liking one player more than the other, while in conventional sporting events, there is a weird sort of guarantee that some kind of fight will/might happen. So one might be "safer" and more passive, but the other gives more of an active sense of togetherness.

I think this is very well put and helped me form my opinion about the subject. My first instinct was an immediate "ABSOLUTELY NOT", but that's because of the circumstances we have been fed by media. Looking at it from the above perspective, I can't help but agree. Fighting poverty is the first in beating this.

Retail therapy will always be around and I think physical shops add to the experience- even if it's just window shopping or running your hands over all these different materials. Also, traditional retail shops do much more than just sell products- they sell an image, provide a place for people to hang out (have you ever gone to the city "just to walk around with friends" instead of buy anything?), support culture (or go against it!) and they can put a city on the map. Antwerpen, New York, Amsterdam- all these cities are predominantly known for their shopping (at least, amongst most women). By taking this away, you take away a large chunk of what makes these famous cities "famous". With the progress of e-commerce traditional shops might lessen, but they will never be extinct. Or, at least, I really hope not.

Agreed! We are becoming hyper-aware of what goes on behind closed doors of some of the largest corporations (with the help of transparency laws and a few brave souls) and this awareness is leading to a higher demand of sustainable products, brands and an overall lifestyle. People are willing to cut back on other expenses to support the corporations who adopt a more environmentally-friendly approach and it is 100% the way of the future. At the same time, greed and corruption is also reaching new heights. So there will always be counter-offers from companies that promise you the world if you sell your soul to them. Because it's "easier" / "cheaper" / "more durable"- all these words that humans are suckers for and buy into every time.

So as much as I believe sustainable businesses are the answer to the environmental downfall, I fear for how bad the counter-party is going to become to "keep the balance".

I believe so... Digital communication can be as powerful as face-to-face, but people are also really good at abusing its possibilities (i.e. trolls and bullies that hide behind anonymity). I prefer face-to-face, but digital communication allows for much more wiggle more when it comes to response time and choosing your words carefully. So I would say that for business, digital is more useful. For personal, I believe face-to-face has more benefits as you can build a MUCH stronger bond than through a screen.

I think this is a very well put statement against it. "It is highly unethical to destroy someone's lifetime achievement just that so other people will get rich on their backs" sums it up pretty nicely, I would say. Too many people think lives are disposable or they see humans as a "collective unit". They think that by sacrificing a few lives, they can save many more, but there is a limit.