Business Case

Board games 🎯

HOTorNOT 👙

Social Media 💬 More addicted than tobacco

Memoji đŸ€Ș

Facebook's scandal

Signal vs. Whatsapp (vs. Telegram)

[Tiktok vs. Instagram](https://mediakix.com/blog/tiktok-vs-instagram-infographic/#:~:text=Instagram still has a larger,than 1.8B times globally.&text=While 2019 accounted for 28,users in one year alone.)

The future of WhatsApp

The History of Loneliness

Trends

VR, AR, MR

Social Interaction, VR, AR or MR?

With many companies switching into a remote-first work policy and events going virtual, people need a way to spice-up their Zoom calls with
 digital avatars. Welcome to the New Social Interaction Era.

Digital

Digital masters cultivate two capabilities: digital capability, which enables them to use innovative technologies to improve elements of the business, and leadership capability, which enables them to envision and drive organizational change in systematic and profitable ways.

Communication barrier

This year, we grew our collective awareness as global searches for invisible disability doubled.

Towards building awareness and communication

Accept, embrace and run with new norms

Kyne Santos is a Filipino-Canadian drag queen and math influencer on TikTok and YouTube. In her videos, Kyne sparks interest for mathematics by telling riddles, giving lessons on the history of math and teaching her 790,000 TikTok followers how to spot misleading statistics in media. All while dressed in high-glamour drag.

Those who do not embrace the ‘new’ in everything can sashay away in 2021, as new norms — in gender, media, education and more — will dictate how brands communicate with their audiences, and what those audiences expect from brands.

Horizontal targeting

Les contenus les plus valorisĂ©s seront ceux qui toucheront le plus de monde (horizontalement) ET qui seront jouĂ©s de nombreuses fois par une mĂȘme personne (verticalement) La raison : les musiques ou les jeux vidĂ©os sont des actifs Ă  trĂšs fort levier vertical.

Refresh Phygital (Contact-Lite, Sensory Heavy)

Still nowhere near post-Covid, consumers’ continuing need for reassurance will make 2021 the optimum year to back omni-channel, contact-lite experiences that soothe by offering a sense of control without killing off style or experience. Acknowledging high service no longer means high touch, they’ll also expose just how ambient tech is already a force to be reckoned with.

Look to next-gen department store Showfield’s Magic Wand app where users scan products for info or add to a digital cart, collecting their booty duty-free style on exit. Also, Amazon’s new Fresh store format where Alexa stations offer voice assistance and smart trolleys ‘read’ visitors’ shopping lists (navigating accordingly), while simultaneously detecting what’s placed inside so there’s no need to risk standing in line. Sexier is Burberry’s content-connected swing tags in its Shenzhen flagship; scan a label to view related content and exactly how the item looks on a model.

This new gentler-touch landscape and next-gen interfaces will open the floodgates to richer sensory branding, via tech that can satisfy the cravings for physical stimulation suppressed during distancing without ditching the halo of safety. Leading the pack is Ultraleap whose USP – precision gesture tracking + ultra-haptics – is already allowing people to experience physical sensations (pushing a button, moving a knob, the touch of a rough surface) while they view or move content, heralding a new era of haptic branding.

Support and empower marginalized communities

Historically, banks have rejected low-income applicants and charged Black and Latinx consumers more for financial services. Greenwood is a digital bank designed to empower Black and Latinx customers. Cofounded by rapper and Black community leader Michael ‘Killer Mike’ Render, Greenwood aims to ensure that communities of color can accrue wealth and combat systemic oppression.

Step by baby-step, the world is moving from systemic oppression to systemic justice and equity. In 2021, cynical consumers demand authentic social justice initiatives of, for and by those who have been sidelined.

💡 What can your brand do to truly address the roots of systematic oppression?

Reimagine gatherings for today’s mixed reality

Chile-based Sonidos Inmersivos is a platform that hosts live VR concerts and festivals for those seeking to be safely and conveniently entertained from home. Through the platform, the company also promotes Chilean and Latin American artists and helps them widen their fanbase by reaching international audiences.

The accelerated race to champion virtual events has only begun (hint: Zoom, Hopin), with plenty of space left to perfect immersiveness, accessibility and interaction, and to create add-on services and useful tools for both participants and organizers.

💡 How can you leverage virtual events to expand your reach and tap into new audiences?

Infuse mental wellness into your products

Microsoft has announced new features for its Teams communication platform that aim to improve users’ work/life balance in the WFH world. Microsoft will be introducing a 'virtual commute' feature to create mental bookends for the remote workday. It will also partner with meditation app Headspace and add a new emotional check-in feature.

The era of ignoring mental and emotional health is coming to an end. In 2021, increasingly mindful people will look for products and services that seamlessly boost their mental wellbeing.

💡 How can you recalibrate the impact your products and services have on consumers’ wellbeing?

Youtube automation

YouTube Automation - OUTSOURCING/DROP-SERVICING - ‘Instead of using videos specifically as a marketing tool, the automation business model focuses on creating viral videos that generate passive income for the channel’s owner. Essentially, it’s outsourcing (to various freelancers), where brands and personalities can hire someone else to handle developing video concepts, creating the videos, and optimising, uploading, and distributing them.’ Good interview @ Forbes with Caleb Boxx in the link above.

Doodles inspire us

Gen Z are defining indie beauty with doodle-inspired aesthetics such as smiley face nails, pops of colour in the inner eye, and cute emoji art. Searches for ‘indie nails’ increased by 21x in 2020, with ‘smiley face nails’ proving popular – a look we highlighted in 10 Nail Trends to Watch. Inspiring childlike fun, brands can use kitsch and cutesy graphics to appeal to younger demographics and enhance their creativity. Bold colours that pop on all skin tones should be valued.

See Festival Summer 2022: Beauty Inspiration and Keeping Up with Gen Z Beauty for more.

Year of the bird

For all its staidness, Twitter demonstrated again how vital and powerful a social platform it is. By banning President Trump this week, in tandem with Facebook, the social network effectively neutered the spread of more inflammatory words and spurious statements from the commander-in-chief.

Consider it the start of the Year of the Blue Bird. After lagging behind its contemporaries for so long, Twitter finally seems ready to catch-up. I expect a steeper upswing to follow last year's +50% gains, buoyed by genuine product innovations. Fleets, Twitter's answer to Stories, is a good start, while the Breaker acquisition should juice the company's audio efforts. Getting rid of the two-timing Dorsey and bringing in a dedicated CEO would help, too. Kevin Mayer, stymied as the CEO of TikTok, thanks to political pressure, would make an exciting outside pick.

As it stands, both Pinterest ($44 billion) and Snap ($75 billion) are valued more highly than Twitter ($38 billion), despite logging less revenue; both are growing faster. By the end of 2021, I expect Twitter to have surpassed Pinterest and more than doubled its current market cap.

Paid Communities

Problem

Free communities tend to be noisy without a barrier to entry.

Solution

Paid communities use strategic friction to build high-signal environments.

Members are invested and engaged.

Community builders are aligned with members and able to invest in great experiences.

Predictions

Opportunities

Key Lessons

Trends #0045 - Paid Communities

SPIRITUALITY

Citrine Crystal - SPIRITUALITY (spirituality tends to increase in times of distress - along with vices) - Citrine is a yellow quartz that has been associated for centuries as possessing the healing properties of the sun, but it can also be greenish-yellow, brownish-yellow, or orange. Its purported healing powers—dates back centuries, to the time of the ancient Greeks. We mentioned the increase of ‘rising sign’ from horoscopes & astrology as well.

Your social website, for free

Our team at Snipfeed created LinkFree because we think it should be free for creators to aggregate their favorite links in a beautiful landing page.

LinkFree

Un meilleur moteur de recherche

On assiste Ă  l’émergence de plateformes tech alternatives plus responsables comme DuckDuckGo pour les moteurs de recherches et Parler pour les rĂ©seaux sociaux

Expand expertise by hiring older talent

Creative agency Thinkerbell launched Thrive@55: an eight-week paid internship exclusively available to applicants over 55. The program is a response to people’s productivity runway lengthening as societies age. The agency found that only 5% of staff in the creative industry is over 50, which means there’s a profusion of underutilized experience and knowledge to tap into.

As longevity increases, people can, want and need to be productive for longer. It’s now on everyone to abandon ageism and welcome a growing group of talent with a lifetime of experience.

💡 How can your organization benefit from being age-inclusive?

Turn crisis into transformational opportunity

In Colombia, Mexican beer brand Corona launched Paradise Advisor: an Airbnb-style platform showcasing Colombian eco-hotels. By championing sustainable tourism, the initiative hopes to help rebuild the hard-hit industry in a way that’s more conscious and futureproof. In Europe, Amsterdam is using current momentum to incorporate ‘doughnut economics’ into its recovery plan, prioritizing people and planet.

As disruption enables new ideas to take hold — 86% of adults globally want the world to change significantly post-COVID — 2021 is about laying the groundwork for a more purposed recovery.

💡 How can you leverage the build-back-better momentum and explore responsible new business opportunities?

Boost urban wellbeing and community

US startup Reef is on a mission to build ‘15-minute cities’ where everything people need can be found within a short walk or bicycle ride. To this end, Reef is transforming its real estate network of more than 4,500 parking lots and garages into neighborhood hubs. It's partnering with other players for micro-fulfillment, e-bikes, pop-up clinics and urban farming.

We’re steadily moving towards people-first, car-free urban environments that prioritize wellbeing. In 2021, it’s high time to contribute to laying a foundation for this revolution. Opportunities include micro-mobility, urban farming and strengthening local communities.

💡 Which building block of the future 15-minute city can your company provide?

Providing online access to all

FoondaMate is a WhatsApp chatbot that allows students in South Africa to access education material without a fixed or stable internet connection. Students can download notes, past papers and research without paying for data, since most mobile networks in SA don’t charge for WhatsApp usage. So, when schools were closed due to the pandemic, students were still able to keep up with their schoolwork.

2020 made the consequences of digital inequality extra salient. In 2021, the demand for creative ways to provide access to all will be higher than ever.

💡 How can you reach and engage with those who lack decent internet access?

Help consumers stop and (not) shop

Fifth Third Bank ran a social media campaign to discourage people from making impulse purchases after viewing ads in their newsfeeds. Where they would otherwise see ads for products, users now saw Fifth Third ads designed to make them think twice about splurging. Countering the highly-targeted temptations thrown at people’s eyeballs, the campaign encourages buying less and saving more.

In 2021, boycotting Black Friday is no longer enough. Increasingly mindful shoppers demand that brands acknowledge the detrimental impact of hyperconsumerism and offer them more than just ‘more’.

💡 How can you actively help consumers make more conscious purchasing decisions?

Signal

Signal Messenger - PRIVACY - Elon tweeted and people listened. In response to WhatsApp changing its privacy policy on February the 8th, many have flocked to Signal which has been getting north of 800,000 downloads a day.

Prioritizing family and friends

When the chips are down, you see who really shows up for you. Several people told me they’ve come to appreciate the family members and friends who’ve been there for them during this tough time, and that long after the coronavirus dies down, it’s this group that they want to re-up their investment in.

“Quarantine has reinforced the necessity of telling people how you feel about them,” said Andrew Goldberg, a recent graduate from Syracuse University. “With social distancing and stay-at-home orders in place, it is easier than ever to feel isolated from the world. But as the days stretch into weeks, I’ve decided that the only way I’ll be able to keep my spirits up is by making sure the people I care about know exactly how I feel about them.”

Others emphasized that the bizarre, unprecedented nature of this global pandemic has allowed them to reach out to people they haven’t spoken to in ages. Suddenly they’ve found themselves on Zoom with estranged family members or old college roommates halfway around the world.

Slowing down and putting less pressure on ourselves

Being stuck in our houses has made many of us realize that we’ve spent years rushing through life, pressuring ourselves to get the “right” jobs and attend the “right” events, even if all that status-chasing was making us miserable.

“Quarantine has forced me to slow down in ways I haven’t since I was a kid. From high school and college, through my 20s and a master’s program, I have been on the go constantly for half my life. I always said I was one who liked to be busy, but the last two months of forced slowdown has really called on me to think about what I want my life to look like moving forward,” said one Vox reader in the US who preferred to remain anonymous. “I’m trying to figure out what it would look like to intentionally build in space in my life to breathe, reflect, and focus on the most important aspects of life — the people around you who make it all worth it.”

Some younger respondents told me they want to put less career pressure on themselves because they now realize work is not what matters most in life. A couple of older adults told me they’d been considering retiring before Covid-19 came around; the pandemic pushed them to finally do it. And even for some who were already retired, the slower pace of life created by the lockdown has come as a relief.

Post-pandemic, the goal will be to “not fill every waking moment with a commitment of some kind,” said Patricia Murray, who lives in Savannah, Georgia. ****“Even retired persons, like myself, need leisure time. I seem to work as much as a volunteer as I did in paid jobs; slowing down is the biggest change I’ve made and it feels good.”

Again, it’s worth noting that the ability to slow down entails a great deal of privilege. Millions who’ve been pushed out of the workforce wish they could be working more, not less. And some older and immunocompromised people have had to go back to work, even if they don’t feel safe doing so yet, because they need the income and the employer-provided health insurance.

Twitter X PR

GrĂące Ă  quoi, « nous savions que le pays Ă©tait dans un autre espace que ce que les rĂ©seaux sociaux suggĂ©raient », expliquait Ed O’Keffe, qui y est lui-mĂȘme trĂšs prĂ©sent. Se passer de Twitter, ou du moins en limiter l’usage, pourrait donc ĂȘtre une force.

L’affaire Mila, par exemple, Ă©tait un truc vĂ©cu par les gamins sur Snap. Twitter n’était pas le bon endroit pour apprĂ©cier ce que ça a crĂ©Ă© chez les jeunes », se souvient GrĂ©goire Lemarchand, rĂ©dacteur en chef investigation numĂ©rique Ă  l’AFP.

Le risque est aussi de ne plus savoir ce qui mĂ©rite l’attention, quand on entend « old » parce qu’une information a plus de trois heures, en oubliant que la plupart des gens n’en ont jamais entendu parler.

Quatorze ans aprĂšs la crĂ©ation de Twitter, ce ne sont plus les contraintes de la limite d’espace (140 caractĂšres, puis 280) qui font dĂ©bat chez les journalistes, mais toutes sortes d’autres effets pervers, Ă  commencer par le risque de s’exposer Ă  une reprĂ©sentation tordue du monde.

« Gaspillage d’énergie mentale »C’est aussi cette tentation de donner son avis sur tout, que cela se passe sur un plateau tĂ©lĂ© ou sur les rĂ©seaux sociaux, qui contribue Ă  dĂ©prĂ©cier l’image de ce mĂ©tier.

Messages personnels: Jack Dorsey, le patron de Twitter, avait rĂ©pondu par un thread Ă  chacun de ses arguments, concluant que l’impossibilitĂ© d’avoir une conversation nuancĂ©e sur le journalisme sur Twitter Ă©tait « ce que nous aimerions le plus rĂ©parer ».

Sharing is caring

This is an experiment in sharing notes. I occasionally collect ideas from books I've read, people I admire and podcasts I've listened to. They are written for myself, but if you're like me, you may find them useful too.

Notes

Resources

Tendances Social Media 2021

21 trends for 2021 | Consumer trends and business opportunities

The New Elements of Digital Transformation

Year in Search: Trends That Shaped 2020 - Google

Pinterest Predicts Top 2021 Beauty Trends | Stylus