In 2007, most of us had no idea just how much our lives were about to change.
We were still carrying flip phones—or for some of us, we remember the bag phones that plugged into the car console. You might’ve had an iPod for music, a digital camera in your glove box, and maybe a GPS unit stuck to the windshield. There were smartphones before the iPhone, sure, but nothing that truly stuck or changed our daily habits.
Then we heard about this new thing called the iPhone.
At the time, it just seemed like another cool tech gadget. But what followed was a total shift in how we live—how we communicate, shop, consume content, and show up to events. Looking back, the iPhone was more than a phone. It was the starting line of the digital era.
And in motorsports especially, the gap between old-school operations and modern consumer habits is hard to ignore.
This post kicks off The Digital Shift, because it all begins here.
The iPhone Wasn’t Just a Phone—It Started the Digital Shift
Everything we do today—how we interact with people, how we attend live events, how we buy, share, and consume—has been shaped by what the iPhone introduced.
Let’s break down what’s changed, and what it means for live event and race promoters today.
1. The Way We Communicate: Always On, Always Connected
Before the iPhone, we used our phones to make calls and send texts. That was about it. Group chats didn’t exist. Sending photos or checking email on your phone felt like a novelty, not a necessity.
Then came iMessage, FaceTime, social media apps, and constant access to the internet.
Now, communication is constant. It’s visual, quick, and layered with media. People are talking all day through group chats, GIFs, DMs, and video clips. There’s no such thing as waiting for an update.
What it means for events:
Fans don’t just show up and watch—they’re messaging, posting, tagging, and sharing before they even arrive. They expect to hear from you before the event, during it, and after. From weather updates to gate times to last-minute schedule changes, communication has to be fast and mobile-friendly. If it’s not in their pocket, it might as well not exist.
2. The Way We Shop: From In-Line to Online to In-Hand
Back in the day, buying something meant calling ahead, waiting in line, or using a desktop computer. Now, shopping happens on the go—on the couch, at lunch, or walking through the gates.
Our phones have become our wallets. Fans buy tickets, concessions, merch, and pit passes right from their device—and they expect that experience to be fast and painless.
What it means for events:
If your ticketing feels slow or outdated, you’re already behind. Mobile-first ticketing, cashless entry, and one-tap payments aren’t a luxury anymore—they’re the standard. Whether it’s a $25 general admission ticket or a VIP parking add-on, your buying experience needs to match how people shop everywhere else.
Thanks for reading The Digital Shift Blog.
Every detail matters. Every night counts.
3. The Way We Entertain Ourselves: Stream, Scroll, Repeat
There was a time when we had to plan our nights around what was on TV. Watching a race meant being in a specific place at a specific time. Now, the phone is the screen—and content is always within reach.
The iPhone helped create the world of on-demand everything—YouTube, Netflix, TikTok, Spotify. People don’t just watch content—they share it, remix it, and expect it to be mobile-friendly.
What it means for events:
Your race is part live action, part digital content. Fans are recording feature races, posting behind-the-scenes clips, tagging drivers, and sharing experiences as they happen. Whether you’re livestreaming or not, your event is being seen online. Make sure it looks good, sounds good, and is easy to share.
4. The Way We Attend Events: From Spectator to Participant
This might be the biggest shift of all.
It used to be simple—buy a ticket, find a seat, enjoy the show. Now it’s: scan in with your phone, post a story from the grandstands, tag the driver, order food online, livestream the trophy celebration.
Fans aren’t just spectators anymore—they’re participants. They’re part of the story, and they want experiences that make that easy and exciting.
What it means for motorsports:
Think about what your fans are seeing, sharing, and capturing. Is the entry line fast? Is the signage clear? Does the facility look great in a photo? Fans are telling the story of your event whether you plan for it or not—so you might as well make it look good.
5. Everyday Life, Rewritten by the Smartphone
The iPhone didn’t just change communication and entertainment. It changed everything. Whole industries were redesigned around mobile behavior.
Here’s how that shift played out:
– Transportation: Uber & Lyft made calling a cab obsolete
– Food: DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub brought restaurants to your couch
– Grocery: Instacart and Shipt turned shopping into a swipe
– Banking: Venmo and Cash App replaced the ATM
– Travel: Google Maps, Airbnb, mobile boarding passes
– Dating: Tinder, Bumble, and others reinvented how people meet
– Finance: Robinhood and mobile-first banking put Wall Street in your pocket
– Photos & Stories: Instagram and the iPhone camera changed how we document life
What it means for events:
Your fans are already living in a mobile-first world. They expect speed, convenience, and control—and if your event feels like a step backward, they’ll notice. Fast scanning, digital access, flexible ticketing, and a clean mobile experience aren’t just features. They’re the baseline.
Final Thought: This Is Where the Shift Began
The iPhone wasn’t just a phone—it started the digital shift.
It changed how we talk to each other, how we discover and buy things, how we consume entertainment, and how we show up to events. And while it didn’t all happen overnight, there’s no denying how much it’s shaped the world we’re in now.
In motorsports—and live events in general—you can feel this shift everywhere. From the way fans expect mobile ticketing and real-time updates to how they record, share, and react in the moment. The expectations have changed because life has changed.
Whether you’re running a track, managing a series, or putting on a one-night show, you’re now operating in a mobile-first world.
That change didn’t just happen around us.
It all started with the smart phone.
Thanks for reading The Digital Shift Blog.
Every detail matters. Every night counts.
