The idea of the LIFESTYLE concept is relatively new. In its simplest form, LIFESTYLE suggests that humans organize their lives around certain behaviors and attitudes. In its most advanced form, the LIFESTYLE matrix model can provide a map for understanding human behavior and purpose. The LIFESTYLE matrix has been used to examine a wide range of concepts including parenting, marriage, work, and faith-based institutions.

The theory of the LIFESTYLE concept is simple. It suggests that humans organize their lives around three core elements: freedom, activity, and identity. The idea is that humans need freedom to pursue healthy lifestyles; however, they need activity to fulfill their needs and maintain healthy lifestyles. Finally, humans need an identity to survive and thrive as a group.

The LIFESTYLE matrix can be derived from several related concepts. According to the philosophy of Alfred Adler, humans organized their lives around three basic models: collectivity, kin selection, and single specialization. Adler argued that human groups lived in environments where they had three primary models. For instance, hunter-gatherers who did not have a society’s infrastructure, engaged in “group activity, such as hunting and gathering, for mutual advantages,” and developed “specialization,” which was characterized by specialization at the level of individuals, resulting in “growth” of specialized knowledge and technological systems.

The LIFESTYLE concept has evolved over the years to include many more elements. One early variant suggested that a “focusing group” of six people formed a virtual city in the mind of each individual. This virtual city functioned as a focal point in which all human activities took place-commerce, politics, religion, art, science, and information were all part of everyday life. The six individuals in the “focusing group” of the LIFESTYLE matrix formed a virtual triangle, with Florence Knoll acting as the central figure.

In the field of applied social media, the concept of the LIFESTYLE matrix has been used to represent a process of aligning multiple aspects of social media into one frame. The goal is to use the LIFESTYLE matrix to create the same kinds of connections in online communities that you would find in a real world setting. The LIFESTYLE matrix can be considered a model of community building through collaborative effort, rather than the conventional form of individual therapy. By participating in online discussions, sharing ideas, and engaging in conversation within the LIFESTYLE matrix, a person is able to form deep relationships based on the shared perspectives of a small number of individuals. Social media uses the same kinds of technologies that are used for online networking: blogs, podcasts, message boards, photo and video sharing, and social networking websites.

The idea of the LIFESTYLE matrix, then, represents a collaborative online community where each participant is responsible for his or her own representation of the collective. The matrix is dynamic, ever-changing, and, when used in this way, can be adapted to almost any kind of situation. Many experts have drawn upon the work of Fred Becker to describe how this sort of collaborative storytelling can help us make better decisions and solve problems. According to Becker, a problem is only solved by collaborating with a group of like-minded people and by knowing how others see an issue or problem. The storyboard created in the LIFESTYLE format can be adjusted, refocused, and redefined whenever needed to provide the benefit of a cohesive story to the masses. For example, if a nonprofit organization wants to raise funds for a particular project, instead of just focusing on raising money as their main concern, they could use the LIFESTYLE format as a vehicle to tell a compelling story about what they need to do in order to get from point A to point B.