2010 was an astounding year for the online world. In the last 12 months, we've seen the initially mocked (at least for its name) launch of the iPad, a hit movie about Facebook, the huge growth of Foursquare and more. What will the next year bring? Here are my predictions, based on little more than spending far too much time on the Internet.
The Beginning of the End for Public Relations
There once was a time when the only way for a company to get its message out was to hire a public relations firm. In exchange for a hefty monthly retainer of thousands of dollars, business owners would get the writing skills and, more importantly, the database of someone who promised that maybe a reporter might file a story. Today, thanks to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, those same business owners can put their message out on their own and often achieve better results. After all, it doesn't take much sleuthing to search out the exact reporters you want to reach directly.
Failing that, with more and more journalists using social media networking to find stories, the right post or tweet can find its own way to a newspaper's front page or magazine cover. Of course, expertise is still valued but it costs far less to employ a social media marketing firm than a PR one. Besides, isn't the whole reason for wanting a reporter to cover your business to spread the word? Thanks to social media, you now can do that yourself!
The End to the End of Video Calling (Again)
It wasn't long after the invention of the telephone that somebody thought it would be a great idea to incorporate moving images. Immediately following that suggestion, a Mrs. Constance Farnum remarked, "Tarnations! Why would a soul wish to communicate with even one's dearest acquaintance before one's hair has been put up nor one has not changed out of her sleeping garments?"
That attitude has yet to change, and no matter how inexpensive or easy to use video phones become, they're not going to catch on. (Of course, I'm leaving people like Kim Kardashian, who will doubtless find creative and unintended uses for the technology, out of the equation.)
No End in Sight to Ironic Privacy Concerns
As mobile devices like smartphones and touch-pads become more popular, a greater number of people will be online for longer periods of time, and they'll be spending much of that time telling everyone else where they are. And most of that time will be away from their homes.
Yet, the idea of freely telling the world that you're not at home but your shiny, new flat-screen TV certainly is will not deter those same people from fretting about government intrusion in cyberspace and Homeland Security officers skimming through your public library records. People, trust me, all Big Brother needs to do is friend you on Facebook and Foursquare to learn all it wants.
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