Instructor field trip:Trends from ONA2012

Trends in Communication & Information TechnologyJOUR 4871-003

Last week’s crystal-ball gazers

Futurist Thomas Frey

Media/technology trend-spotterAmy Webb

What insights did you gain from Frey’s

forecasts in terms of impact on

NEWS and MEDIA?

Amy Webb: 5 Attributes ofDigital Innovation That Will Stick

1. Effortlessly blends disciplines and platformE.g., Pinterest: incorporates blogs, images, links, social networks

2. Leverages exponentials Pinterest: New member got 10 invites to share; only way in

3. Relies on virtuous -- and vicious -- cyclesPinterest: Shareable, requires collaboration (virtuous); capitalizes on vicious circle of bad-photo sharing (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr)

4. Liberates: content or data or time or ideas or staffPinterest: Easier to curate than anywhere else

5. Core competency elegantly simple, easy to explainPinterest: Very simple concept; easy to understand

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#1 VERIFICATION

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#2 VIDEO

“Instagramfor video”

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#3 DYNAMIC PRICING

Examples:

• Price based on algorithm’s estimation of how likely you are to pay full price for digital content (music track, e-book) ... E.g., new e-book purchaser = discount; repeat customer = no discount

• Price varies by time of day

• Controversial!

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#4 ALGORITHM-BASED NEWS

Why:

• Getting better at turning data into articles indistinguishable from those written by human using same data

• News-company cutbacks; saves money on routine stuff (high school sports, business/economic data, etc.)

• http://narrativescience.com

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#5 RESPONSIVE DESIGN

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#6 ATOMIC UNITS OF NEWS

Example:

• You’re an expert on “X” ... Systems to deliver highly specialized content, news on “X” to you ... You might be motivated to pay for it piecemeal, or a subscription

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#7 UTILITY-BASED APPS

Example:

• Local TV news outlets creating phone app alarm clock that wakes you with the day’s weather forecast and top headlines

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#8 WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

Examples:

• Everpurse charges your digital devices when you put them in it

• (Tom Frey) Video/changeable art on clothingPeople buy clothing, t-shirts with brands (walking ads) ... What if with wearable shirt, companies pay you to wear an ad based on your current location?

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#9 AMBIENT SOCIAL NETWORKS

“If I was a reporterthis is game-changing

technology”—Amy Webb

10 Tech Trends for 2012: Amy Webb

#10 WOMEN

Some Other Trends Spotted at ONA2012

More and more tools for curation, innovative digital storytelling

Some Other Trends Spotted at ONA2012

Changes in store for social media

• Twitter: Rich content within the tweet

• New FREE news-curation tools coming soon from Twitter

• More images and video in social media ... Easier, quicker to include ... Beyond 140 characters of text

Some Other Trends Spotted at ONA2012

More journalists, journalism grads getting jobs at tech companies

• Journalism pods within tech companies like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr

• Much interaction between departments (not silo’ed like in most news organizations)

• Great benefits and office goodies (free meals, et al) ... But expect to work longer hours than in an established news company

• WANT A JOB? USE SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICES OFTEN TO DEMONSTRATE FAMILIARITY, UNDERSTANDING OF CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE