Hello 2019 and welcome new year!
At this time of year, people like to make predictions about what the coming months will bring. Here are a few…
Social Media
Forbes said some interesting stuff about social media, something we all care about (or should).
They predicted a rise in brands using nano-influencers, typically those with less than 10K followers. They also said that the relationship between Gen-Z young people and social media is shifting. No, they’re not predicting less content creation and lifestyle cultivation/documentation. They are, however, suggesting that these Gen-Z’ers will be taking privacy more serious, which — that’s a good thing. Forbes also said that the “Stories”-form of ephemeral content will continue to rise.
AI and Ethics
According to ZD.net, predictions about artificial intelligence (AI) are all over the map — and everyone cares about this, but only when we’re talking about sex dolls and robot brothels. Most questions and concern seem to center on ethics and data management.
They reported that Talend CTO Laurent Bride said “Questions around data morality will slow innovation in AI/ML.” Bride believes that immediate innovation will pause — not sputter or crash out — “as researchers try to hash out a fair, balanced approach to machine-made decisions.”
Sports, bro! (?)
Sports Illustrated predicted that the Saints will win the Super Bowl, which… cool?! I love New Orleans, so this maybe would be good for the community overall? (I know nothing about professional sports — sorry/not sorry.)
They also said that the Nashville Predators will win their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2019, which, okay… but my main takeaway here is that Tennessee has at least one cool-ass sports team name!
Blockchain
The folks at Investopedia wrote something funny about blockchain: “As big-name companies figure out how to implement blockchain technology, the finance folks (us) are finally figuring out how to explain it.” Same.
They said we can expect to see blockchain technology expanding into mainstream applications in banking, medical-record keeping and voting in 2019, which… cool?
Glossier *Is* You
Not even gonna play: I *love* Glossier. And really, who doesn’t? (Exactly.)
Forbes wrote that Glossier is a connected, end-to-end approach to commerce — emotional and social commerce, specifically. “The customers are the brand,” CEO Emily Weiss says frequently, and Forbes thinks she is right. Weiss allegedly lets consumers inform Glossier from the ground up, rather than force the brand upon them from the top down. This, in turn, has helped create their rabid fanbase, seen only by the likes of Apple before it.
Welp, there you have some of various experts’ in various industries predictions about 2019 trends — hmmm.
Each one of these predictions has cam-relevance. (Okay, maybe not the one about the Nashville Predators.) Observe trends if social joy, observe trends in technology, observe trends in brand cultivation to meet customers needs and find ways to connect your brand and your work accordingly. This may be via jumping on a trend wave. Or, it may be by bucking a trend entirely. You do you, boo.
The key point here is, as always — pay attention to the wider world’s wants and needs and find a way that helps you succeed, always keeping in mind your own desires and ideas of success!
Happy new year, friends. We love you!
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Erika is a sex positive people watcher (and writer). Email her at erika@ynotcam.com.
Image via Shonna Clark.