Why Conan O’Brien Is A Social Media Futurist

Written by Jeff Bullas - View Comments
Categories: Social Media


The future is something that frightens some people and excites others. Why Conan O'Brien Is A Social Media Futurist

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%

The current trends and the future of Media

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 4 Internet trends and the Rise of Social Media

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?



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  • http://www.twitter.com/ryanhandinc Ryan Hand

    Great points here. I see and coming and an embracing. Gotta Love Conan!

  • http://www.twitter.com/ryanhandinc Ryan Hand

    wow-wee… spelling problems. Wonderful Blog- I see the new media age coming, and I am embracing it with open arms. Gotta Love Conan!

  • http://www.toddweisscfa.com ToddWeissCFA

    Without a doubt the market is changing and companies need to adjust and adapt. I think this will improve the quality of communication and entertainment. It will be fun to see where this goes. Thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.theorganicview.com OrganicGuru

    When Conan got the boot from the big bird (NBC) it was all OVER twitter. That right there tells you just how powerful SM sites are! The best thing about it is that they are free! Oddly enough with the transition on television from analog to digital, tv has lost even more viewers now thanks to the requirement for cable (satellite, etc) People can opt to view their favorite shows from a computer or some kind of smart phone. Perhaps the networks should pay attention to what people want instead of thinking that they are going to force people into doing things their way, which evidently, is not working.

    Gotta Love Conan!

  • http://thepracticebrew.wordpress.com Sangita

    Good recap of online trends. For marketers, there are head-spinning opportunities out there. We just have to orient ourselves and figure out where to begin and how to proceed.

  • http://webmarketersa.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/why-conan-obrien-is-a-social-media-futurist-via-jeffbullass-blog/ Why Conan O’Brien Is A Social Media Futurist (via Jeffbullas’s Blog) « Web.Marketer

    [...] 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 vis … Read More [...]

  • http://briancurrin.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/why-conan-obrien-is-a-social-media-futurist-via-jeffbullass-blog/ Why Conan O’Brien Is A Social Media Futurist (via Jeffbullas’s Blog) « Brian Currin

    [...] 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 vis … Read More [...]

  • http://www.greggmorris.com/curated-stories-june-17-2010 Storytelling Business Social Media Marketing PR & Technology Curated Stories June 17, 2010

    [...] Why Conan O’Brien Is A Social Media Futurist Published: June 16, 2010 Source: Jeffbullas's Blog 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 grow… [...]

  • http://twitter.com/kevgordon/status/16685404215 Kevin Gordon

    RT @gleonhard: Why Conan O’Brien Is A Social Media Futurist « Jeffbullas's Blog http://instapaper.com/zbaekwgu good read: I like that te …

  • http://twitter.com/ederkanak/status/16699737955 ederkanak

    RT @gleonhard: Why Conan O’Brien Is A Social Media Futurist « Jeffbullas's Blog http://instapaper.com/zbaekwgu good read: I like that term media futurist;)

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  • http://twitter.com/unmeshb/status/17868126180 Unmesh Brahme

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  • http://www.bluefocusmarketing.com Mark Burgess

    Conan is amazing and is optimizing his use of the web while in queue for the next big gig. Brilliant marketing and creative ways to leverage social media.

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