MediaFuturist: April 2012

New video: the future of business and the global shift to a networked society (HBR Poland Keynote)

This is the complete (approx 80 minutes) video of my keynote at the HBR Poland conference in Warszawa March 16 2012. The slides are sometimes a bit hard to see as the video zooms back and forth so if desired you can download the complete PDF (high-res, 26MB) with my slides via http://db.tt/JmKiJyQh (creative commons non-commercial attribiution licensed, as always).

Topic: "The future of business: how to benefit from the global shift to a networked society"
The Internet, or to be more precise, the mobile and social 'Internet 2.0' that has exploded in the past 2 years, is dramatically changing the way we find and are found, how we relate to our customers (and vice versa), and by extension how we buy and sell. In a networked society, the-people-formerly-known-as-consumers are becoming more powerful by the minute; transparency rules and more often than not, interaction comes before transaction and attention is the currency. In this digital world, data is indeed the new oil, brands are publishers, and ecommerce almost entirely becomes mobile and social - and this has significant impact on B2B sectors, as well. Gerd will share his foresights on where things are headed in the next 3 years, provide examples of best practices and illustrate the biggest opportunities and how to prepare for them. The future of business is interdependent, real-time, social, local and mobile - get ready.

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 4:04 PM in Advertising Trends, Attention Economy, Branding, Broadband Culture, capitalism 2.0, Conferences, Consumer Insights, eCommerce, EgoSystem EcoSystem, Financial Services, Future of Business, Future of Content, Future of Media, Future of PR & Communications, Leadership, Marketing2.0, Mobility, Monetizing Content, Must-watch, MY PRESENTATIONS, My speaking engagements, Networked Society, Social Advertising, Social Commerce, Social Media, Trends | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Short video on privacy / publicy, date-is-the-new-oil (Fora.tv & Swissnex event in San Francisco)

Here is a short, 3 minute excerpt from the SwissNex event in San Francisco (April 11, 2012) we will publish the entire video soon, as well, on Gerdtube. For now, you can see it here. My slideshow is here

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 11:03 AM in Data is the new Oil, MY PRESENTATIONS, My speaking engagements, My videos, Privacy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

How to Spot the Future (John Naisbitt)

Interesting - this is kind of what I do, as well, but using Twitter, Google Reader, and Flipboard instead ;)How to Spot the Future | Epicenter | Wired.com

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/04/ff_spotfuture/

Thirty years ago, when John Naisbitt was writing Megatrends, his prescient vision of America’s future, he used a simple yet powerful tool to spot new ideas that were bubbling in the zeitgeist: the newspaper. He didn’t just read it, though. He took out a ruler and measured it. The more column inches a particular topic earned over time, the more likely it represented an emerging trend. “The collective news hole,” Naisbitt wrote, “becomes a mechanical representation of society sorting out its priorities”—and he used that mechanism to predict the information society, globalism, decentralization, and the rise of networks.

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Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Green Affluents: The Newest Market Segment? (Co.Exist on Future-Proofing ;)

Interesting take on "future-proofing" brands, below; great example with BMW. Made me think!

Green Affluents: The Newest Market Segment | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

"...the big insight here? With the rise of megacities, consumers will most likely drive less. But they’ll continue to search out exciting ways of getting around. By intersecting this need with BMW’s expertise in creating exciting transport, the car manufacturer is today cornering a market that to many other companies is still invisible. It’s futureproofing its brand. BMW i Brand Manager Uwe Dreher says that a surprising insight is guiding the carmaker. Dreher says that in the course of research the company conducted as part of the new sub-brand’s development process, the team discovered a group of affluent consumers—particularly in the San Francisco area—who were expressing their politics by driving seemingly downmarket cars. As Dreher said, “It seemed incongruous for someone to live in a $5 million home and drive a $35,000 Prius instead of a Porsche or Ferrari. But that’s what’s happening.”

www.futureof.biz

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Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 12:40 PM in Future of Cities, Futurism, Futurists, Going Green | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

'Social' is the new 'Online'

Write text here...

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 8:55 AM in Bottom Lines, Social Media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Watch this: Jessica Jackley: Poverty, money -- and love (Ted-Talk)

http://www.ted.com What do you think of people in poverty? Maybe what Jessica Jackley once did: "they" need "our" help, in the form of a few coins in a jar. The co-founder of Kiva.org talks about how her attitude changed -- and how her work with microloans has brought new power to people who live on a few dollars a day.

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 11:04 AM in Bottom Lines, Videos I Like | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Video: women underestimate themselves: Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook

A clip from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's talk at TEDWomen 2010; edited by Susan Macaulay CIO, http://www.unleashamazingyou.com/index.php . For more with respect to gender imparity, see these links: http://amazingwomenrock.com/invisible-women-where-is-half-the-worlds-population http://amazingwomenrock.com/amazingsusan-rocks-the-gender-imparity-boat-at-tedxajman See the full 18-minute talk here: http://www.amazingwomenrock.com/ted-talks/sheryl-sandberg-on-why-we-have-too-few-women-leaders.html Sandberg uses a real-life example from her college days to demonstrate how women value themselves and their skills less than men value themselves.

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 11:04 AM in Videos I Like, Wisdoms | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Funny cartoon on reality TV

Videos: http://www.gerdtube.com
Twitter: @gleonhard

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 9:29 AM in Funny stuff | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Ai Weiwei: China's censorship can never defeat the internet

Wise words, indeed. Soon, maybe they can be applied to the USA , as well ;)

China's censorship can never defeat the internet | Ai Weiwei | Comment is free | The Guardian

Censorship is saying: “I’m the one who says the last sentence. Whatever you say, the conclusion is mine.” But the internet is like a tree that is growing. The people will always have the last word – even if someone has a very weak, quiet voice. Such power will collapse because of a whisper. When I was young I became rebellious. My hair got longer and, right before I was about to cut it, my parents said: “Cut your hair: it’s too long”. So then I thought I would keep it for a while, and it became very long. A whole generation of young people are like that now – different from the values of their parents, who just wanted to survive and make money. China may seem quite successful in its controls, but it has only raised the water level. It’s like building a dam: it thinks there is more water so it will build it higher. But every drop of water is still in there. It doesn’t understand how to let the pressure out. It builds up a way to maintain control and push the problem to the next generation.

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Twitter: @gleonhard

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 11:33 AM in Bottom Lines, China | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Open or closed society is key dividing line of 21st century, says Hillary Clinton

Spot-on comments by Hilary Clinton, see below - but how come America is moving to being more closed at ever increasing speed, then? Think SOPA, ACTA - pretty much the antidote to being 'open' I'd say. Comments ?Open or closed society is key dividing line of 21st century, says Hillary Clinton | Technology | guardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/17/open-closed-society-hillary-clinton

Nations will be divided not between east and west, or along religious lines, but between open and closed societies, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, has said.

Countries that are closed to “change, ideas, cultures and beliefs that are different from theirs will quickly find that in an internet world they will be left behind”, Clinton said.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Open Government Partnership in Brasilia, she said countries could only become more secure and peaceful if they were open. “In the 21st century, the US is convinced that one of the most significant divisions between nations will be not between east or west, nor over religion, so much as between open and closed societies,” she said.

”We believe those governments that hide from public view and dismiss ideas of openness and the aspirations of their people for greater freedom will find it increasingly difficult to create a secure society.”

Gerd Leonhard

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CEO http://www.thefuturesagency.com
Videos: http://www.gerdtube.com
Twitter: @gleonhard

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Arianna Huffington On The Rise Of Empathy In America

Maybe technology will lead us back to being more human, eventually?

Arianna Huffington On The Rise Of Empathy In America | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

"We are on the cusp of an epic shift,” wrote Jeremy Rifkin in his 2010 book The Empathic Civilization. “The Age of Reason is being eclipsed by the Age of Empathy.” He makes the case that as technology is increasingly connecting us to one another, we need to understand what the goal of all this connectivity is, and allow humanity to see itself as an extended family living in an interconnected world. The innovators I’ve listed, along with countless others, are the drivers of that worldview..."

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 2:01 PM in Bottom Lines, Quotes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Ebook readers and tablets exploding in the U.S.

As usual, Americans are the fastest when it's about adopting something new. Once prices fall below $50 for smart phones and readers I think we will see an even faster adoption rate in the developing countries. But one thing is for sure: desktop computers are on the way out.

Gerd Leonhard
Futurist

http://www.mediafuturist.com

http://www.futuristgerd.com

http:///www.greenfuturist.com

CEO http://www.thefuturesagency.com
Videos: http://www.gerdtube.com
Twitter: @gleonhard

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Web freedom faces greatest threat ever, warns Google's Sergey Brin | Via The Guardian

Some very true statements, here, see below. If the web does not maintain the ethos of openness and the importance of 'the commons' it will become a farce, and useless to most of us.Web freedom faces greatest threat ever, warns Google's Sergey Brin | Technology | The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/15/web-freedom-threat-google-brin

Writing in the Guardian on Monday, outspoken Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei says the Chinese government’s attempts to control the internet will ultimately be doomed to failure. “In the long run,” he says, “they must understand it’s not possible for them to control the internet unless they shut it off – and they can’t live with the consequences of that.”

Amid mounting concern over the militarisation of the internet and claims – denied by Beijing – that China has mounted numerous cyber-attacks on US military and corporate targets, he said it would be hugely difficult for any government to defend its online “territory”.

“If you compare the internet to the physical world, there really aren’t any walls between countries,” he said. “If Canada wanted to send tanks into the US there is nothing stopping them and it’s the same on the internet. It’s hopeless to try to control the internet.”

He reserved his harshest words for the entertainment industry, which he said was “shooting itself in the foot, or maybe worse than in the foot” by lobbying for legislation to block sites offering pirate material.

He said the Sopa and Pipa bills championed by the film and music industries would have led to the US using the same technology and approach it criticised China and Iran for using. The entertainment industry failed to appreciate people would continue to download pirated content as long as it was easier to acquire and use than legitimately obtained material, he said.

“I haven’t tried it for many years but when you go on a pirate website, you choose what you like; it downloads to the device of your choice and it will just work – and then when you have to jump through all these hoops [to buy legitimate content], the walls created are disincentives for people to buy,” he said.

(via Instapaper)

Gerd Leonhard
Futurist

http://www.mediafuturist.com

http://www.futuristgerd.com

http:///www.greenfuturist.com

CEO http://www.thefuturesagency.com
Videos: http://www.gerdtube.com
Twitter: @gleonhard

Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Cispa will give US unprecedented access, internet privacy advocates warn | Via guardian.co.uk

I can't believe that there is yet another legislation pending in the USA that follows in the footsteps of SOPA etc. Really somewhat disgraceful IMHO.CISPA will give US unprecedented access, internet privacy advocates warn | World news | guardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/18/cispa-unprecedented-access-internet-privacy?CMP=OTCNETTXT8115

“As it stands the bill allows companies to turn over private information to the government and for them to use it for any purpose that they see fit, all without a warrant,” said Michelle Richardson, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “For 40 years we have had legislation about wiretapping that protects people. This would overturn that and make a cyber exception.”

Privacy advocates are especially concerned about what they see as the overly broad language of the bill. As people increasingly use services like Skype and other internet telephony services, Twitter and Facebook to communicate, advocates fear the bill is a land grab that would give US authorities unprecedented access to private information while removing a citizen’s legal protection.

(via Instapaper)

Gerd Leonhard
Futurist

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Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Interesting Article: The 5 Most Over-Hyped “Future of TV” Topics | TechCrunch

Some good points below - made me think. The scenario is quite a bit different in Europe, Asia and the developing countries, though. Does anyone have a take on this?The 5 Most Over-Hyped “Future of TV” Topics | TechCrunch

http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/14/future-of-tv-is-overhyped/

Auntie May just cancelled cable and bought a Roku, what the what? Cable is doomed, it’s like newspapers and the music industry. Slow down folks, not so fast. First and foremost, not a single report from any credible source has ever painted a picture that cord cutting is having, nor will have, any impact on the industry. At an average price of $80/month, cable (and satellite and telco, but I’ll just say cable from this point forward – less typing), is about the best deal in entertainment you can find on a dollars/hour basis. Most Roku, WDTV, and Apple TV owners still have a paid cable service, as do most Netflix and Hulu subscribers.

Additionally, the reason TV != music is about distribution and lockup agreements. Sure, artists had labels, and labels distributed their music via CDs to retail stores, and there are a lot of analogies to the TV industry. Except for the lockups, bundles, affiliates, and a dozen or so other participants in the TV production-to-consumption cycle. TV shows can’t start their own distribution service – because 90% of TV shows are made by the folks who own the distribution side. And the networks can’t just go direct to consumers, they’d sacrifice huge amounts of money to do so. Like billions huge. And for what? To directly engage with (read: provide customer service for) people who get pissy if their DVR cuts off the end credits one time on a show they don’t even care about. Yeah, sounds great. This is highly related to Death Topic 5 below, so more in a moment.

Gerd Leonhard
Futurist

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Posted by Gerd Leonhard at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)