It’s getting to be that time of year when we start looking ahead, and PR prognostications naturally gravitate to media and consumer tech trends. We’ve seen a lot of changes and advances in tech use and mainstream acceptance this year, and new research suggests that 2018 could be just as groundbreaking.
The new study from media tech consulting firm Activate, Tech and Media Outlook 2018, its annual report on the state of the Internet, tech, media and entertainment industries.
Now in its fourth year, Activate’s report is focused on topics such as the state of podcasting, consumer technology, fake news vs. fake friends, web video, voice computing, and more.
The results disproved some overhyped myths in the market and identified many surprising trends, including:
Global revenue from consumer technology and media will increase by $300 billion over the next four years
Most of that growth will come from subscriptions and access, not advertising.
Consumers are spending even more time with technology and media
The average person now has 31 hours of activities in each day because of multitasking. While video consumption has peaked, social networks are taking even more of our time.
Traditional outlets are trusted more
Established big news brands will win against fake friends (who spread fake news).
Influencers will direct action
Forget about the long tail—Influencers and media companies will dominate consumer attention over web video.
Media will battle other digital platforms
On the back of strong demand for live sports content, the next years will see extreme competition for rights among media companies and digital platform insurgents.
Podcasting will be a surprising consumer growth story
Advertisers like the upscale audience, and usage will accelerate with the deployment of connected cars.
Smart speakers are just a transitional technology
Digital assistants will become ubiquitous, potentially giving their sponsors a choke point over media and commerce.
VR/AR saturation
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality will move from an overhyped entertainment feature to a major computing platform.
Specialization will rule the day
Specialized retailers with superior service and unique private-label products are winning business away from mass retailers.
“This year, we are delighted to reveal profound insights regarding the tech and media industry as we approach 2018,” said Michael J. Wolf, Activate CEO and co-founder, in a news release. “Many challenges are forcing companies to reshuffle the deck, and our provocative insights are valuable to any business leaders looking to get ahead of the competition and industry trends in 2018.”
The report is based on groundbreaking proprietary research including a survey of 6,000 consumers, viewership data for nearly 200,000 YouTube and Facebook video creators and five years of audience measurement of news and sports content on television and the Internet.
