Trends Identified
Autonomous driving and artificial intelligence
The future of transportation will branch in two directions. One is the Waymo approach, which essentially seeks to remove human drivers from the equation, leaving us with almost an AI-powered Uber alternative. The other is exemplified by Tesla, which is infusing manned vehicles with a series of innovative autonomous features. Each will be here quicker than most realize. One of the reasons is that advances in artificial intelligence are driven, in part, by the availability of more data, so with each new Tesla or Waymo test vehicle that hits the road, semi-autonomous and autonomous capabilities grow exponentially. This is especially true for Tesla’s systems, thanks to the company delivering almost as many cars last year as all previous years combined. AI-enabled transportation is yet another area where investors have an excellent opportunity to back chip makers Nvidia and Intel, whose valuations in recent months have become far more reasonable due to trade-related issues that will likely dissipate going forward. As we move to the next level of internet, entertainment and transportation, there will be huge opportunities for the companies that are best positioned to take advantage of the new technology trends. Investors should take notice.
2019
Three Big Tech Trends For 2019
Forbes
How “Social” is Social Media?
The roots of the social media phenomenon as a societal paradigm are fascinating. In the late 90s, the dispersion of the internet and home PCs became the new means of communication, and provided inspiration for experimentation with how we as humans connect and express ourselves. The hype was immense – as today’s older millennials will remember - basic messaging boards and forums became interactive networks where internet users gained a voice of their own.
2019
Trends 19
GlobalWebIndex
The Next Big Question for Voice Assistants
Voice assistants continue to gain momentum, but there’s still little clarity around how this new interface affects the brandconsumer relationship, and how brands need to reposition themselves in light of this. With strong chances of more growth on the horizon, stakeholders in voice tech are having to consider questions that underline its durability and monetization potential in the future. Above all, they’re having to grapple with the need to commercialize voice assistants, and future-proof their role across the consumer purchase journey.
2019
Trends 19
GlobalWebIndex
Rebuilding trust
2018 represented a crisis year for trust on social media. In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal1 and a Congressional hearing,2 Facebook faced unprecedented pressure from users and regulators to improve security, transparency, and accuracy. Twitter, meanwhile, wrestled with controversies over the unfettered proliferation of bots on its platform, purging millions of fake accounts.3
2019
Social media trends 2019
Hootsuit
Storifying social
Will the news feed one day be an endangered species? According to consulting firm Block Party, Stories—the vertical, ephemeral slideshows pioneered by Snapchat—are now growing 15 times faster than feed-based sharing.
2019
Social media trends 2019
Hootsuit
Closing the ads gap
By now, everyone knows we’re in the pay-to-play era on social. Accordingly, marketers are increasing social ad budgets (up 32 percent in 2018 alone) and producing more ads than ever before.29One of every four Facebook Pages now use paid media,30 and Facebook already accounts for 23 percent of total U.S. digital ad spending.
2019
Social media trends 2019
Hootsuit
Cracking the commerce code
In Asia, social commerce adoption has been swift,41 with 70 percent of China’s Gen Zers now opting to buy direct from social.42 In North America, however, social commerce hasn’t kept pace. Despite the longhyped promise of buy buttons, people aren’t yet buying on social in huge numbers.4
2019
Social media trends 2019
Hootsuit
Messaging eats the world
Top messaging apps—WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, QQ, and Skype—now collectively count nearly five billion monthly active users, according to We Are Social and Hootsuite’s 2018 Q3 Global Digital Statshot.
2019
Social media trends 2019
Hootsuit
#twinning: Farming's digital doubles will help feed a growing population using less resources.
Imagine a planet where instant access to critical data on the world’s farmland could be provided to anyone that needs it. In the next five years, this will become reality when a digital twin of the world’s agricultural resources is readily available.
2019
5 in 5 - Research predicts five innovations that will change our lives within five years.
IBM Research
Spoiler alert: Blockchain will prevent more food from going to waste.
Within five years, we’ll eliminate many of the costly unknowns in the food supply chain. From farmers to grocery suppliers, each participant in the food ecosystem will know exactly how much to plant, order, and ship. Food loss will diminish greatly and the produce that ends up in our carts will be fresher—when blockchain technology, IoT devices, and AI algorithms join forces.
2019
5 in 5 - Research predicts five innovations that will change our lives within five years.
IBM Research