Ready or not – Here we come! The cry from the childhood game of ‘Hide and Seek’ takes on a new meaning when we apply it to the world of internet trends, bends, brands and brags. Here is what I think will happen in 2010.
1. Twitter grows…Twitter helps define what is important using what Clay Shirky calls algorithmic authority, meaning that if all kinds of people are pointing at the same thing at the same instant, it must be a pretty big deal. Since Twitter gets better as more people use it, it will grow. Brands are using it, institutions are using it, and it is becoming a place where a lot of important conversations are being held.
2. The term Social media will go the way of the “internet superhighway”. Yes it is social and it is media. But going forward the interactivity of social media will not be something separate and apart, but simply what is. For businesses having a social presence, a conversation with customers, is simply a part of doing business. For consumers, there is growing expectation that the conversation is available and real.
3. Facebook will continue to be relevant but there will be many other networks to spring up which are more specialized and more targeted.
4. Who hasn’t felt the thrill of being the first to know important news? If you tweet today, perhaps you have learned from fellow tweeters of some newsworthy info before the media outlets are reporting. For example, I live in Nashville and learned of Steve McNair’s death at least an hour before the news story broke just by following Twitter. In 2010 we will no longer be satisfied with waiting for results and our need for instant gratification will consume us. The computer and iphone etc will become extensions of our brain in a greater scale than we have experienced and we will need to be in touch instantly. The term that will become more important than “social media” – “real time”.
5. Now here is where it gets interesting - Augmented reality. Think of it, reality only better or worse whatever the case may be. Can’t wait!
What do you predict?
