Why Conan O’Brien Is A Social Media Futurist

The future is something that frightens some people and excites others.

Some people wake up every morning with dread and others leap out of bed excited to face the day and all it holds. Some industries are growing and others are are in decline. The only thing we are sure of is change itself.

Different groups embrace the challenge, others run or hide. The media industry is in upheaval as media rich blogs like Huffington Post receive 35  million visitors a month, while 24 of the 25 top newspapers are in decline.

Mainstream television has its own challenges and Conan O’Brien (Disclaimer: he is one of my favourite comedians) has a funny two minute song on YouTube, titled “We’ve Got Trouble” that sums up the state of the traditional media and what is happening in media.

The trends in mass media revenue model are not a pretty picture. The Ad spends for the 3 major traditional media are in serious downward trajectories.

• Print Media down 26%
• Radio down 9%
• Television down 39%

Ben Parr in his weekly column on Mashable mentions what the web of tomorrow will look like  and the 4 big trends to follow in the near future.

1. The Web Will  Be Accessible Anywhere

Wireless makes it so easy to connect as we walk in out of our homes and offices, you don’t need to do anything except open the laptop or tap your iPhone

2. Web Access Will Not Focus Around The Computer

The embedding of internet everywhere is a reality with the recent announcements  of Google TV and the launch of the Apple iPad  continuing to enhance  and enable internet access that is pervasive and seamless. The growing use of smart phones like the iPhone and the Android is driving our web experience into the palm of hand.

3. The Web Will Be Media Centric

Blogs and web content are moving from being text focused to media rich with embedding of YouTube Videos and social games becoming a normal part of the web experience

4. Social Media Will Be The Web’s Largest Component

Time spent on social media sites has grown over 250% in 2 years. Nielsen stats show that social media usage has increased by 82% in the last year, an astronomical rise.Facebook , Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and social interaction are becoming the focus of our online interactions, even more than search.

The collective conciousness of humans is moving online and if companies and brands want to influence their customers they need to be there too.

Is your company moving online into the spaces and segments where your customers are?