By: Frank Radice

Suffice it to say, I’ve had time to consider what changes may occur in the new year. The coronavirus isn’t the only reason that modern day life has moved on-line, but it the most important reason behind the speed of the overwhelming shift in lifestyle. Covid-19 pushed technology and media to accelerate what was already happening, and that’s why I’ve made these predictions now. I will leave them without supporting documentation, as I prefer them to be conversation starters. Agree or disagree as you will, but please, add to the list.

•Streaming will be the dominant visual medium as new production techniques will be explored. Storytelling and creative execution will continue to be the key to successful content execution.

•Movie theaters will not go away, but fewer will exist, and only big films and events will be available in them

•New computers and smartphones will come standard with lights, better cameras, and high quality microphones

•Voice/AI will be the standard search interface

•Audio will become the defining method of accessing print content like books and manuals as libraries lock down

•Remote working will exponentially increase and become the norm as business abandon traditional offices and business travel remains depressed until 2024

•On-Line banking will be the standard for all transactions as AI, blockchain, and bitcoin, and mobile solutions dominate

•On-line security will be assured across all platforms

•Immersive media will be standardized and secure a foothold in everyday life

•Social media will lose steam and newsletters using platforms like Substack and Nuzzle will grow in scale and importance. Video newsletters are coming

•Broadcasting will be the driving force of local news

•This will be the year self-driving electric cars flourish

•On-line multiplayer gaming continue to grow more powerful as people become used to being home

•Podcasting will be highly monetized and become a dominant force of information dissemination

•More live events, conferences, and trade shows will be virtual/interactive, and live in the stream

•2-way, multi-party, interactive communication will completely replace standard telephony

•The music industry and live performances will return as a business, but live primarily on-line

•Internet gambling will replace casinos as the big hotels are repurposed

•Home shopping will replace brick and mortar stores as on-line transactions move to the stream

•Education will move to an all-virtual environment

•Medicine will find a virtual comfort zone on-line and in the stream, and veterinary medicine will also move on-line as much as possible

•Governments will be forced to become more transparent as ease of use with on-line and streaming grows

•Grocery shopping will be entirely on-line

•The restaurant experience will be virtualized entirely, with multi-way communication, on-line ordering, and remote delivery

•Home gyms will replace brick and mortar facilities as training is virtualized

•New tech will now have the opportunity to be developed to fight climate change

•The biggest thing will be the amount of data all of this on-line activity will deliver