Media Daydreams for 2018

This week, our superstar in the making Account Executive, Felicia Panosoglu gives us a peek into her media daydreams for 2018…..

2017 has been a year packed full of industry events, panels, interviews and fireside chats. In whatever shape or form they might come in, the discussion has been dominated by the juxtaposition of technology, media and innovation and how this would shape 2017 and beyond.

Now I’ve been to a number of these. Not just because I’m an eager beaver, but because I thrive off hearing these different perspectives and thought-leaders at this early stage of my career. It shapes my leanings but also helps me reflect on my own thoughts and form an opinion or two along the way.

Given that we’re approaching the end of 2017, we’ll surely be exposed to a lot of ‘what’s the best x,y,z in 2017’ type of content. I wanted to get my own version of it, albeit a slight deviation, entitled a ‘Media daydreams of 2018’ based on the silent daydreams I’ve had at the back of those events.

Technology isn’t new y’all

How is artificial intelligence going to impact humans? Where will employment be with the advent of machine learning technologies? Which industries will be disrupted through automation?

Depending on who the speakers are, the focal point of all the debate is either a utopian or a dystopian vision about technology. Some of them think that society is coming to an era where human interactions are disappearing due to the ubiquitous levels of connectivity. While others showcase how these technologies will save our lives or make us all millionaires.

We tend to forget that technology is an essential part in the constitution of human collectives; from stone tools used for hunting and gathering, to 3D printers. In Derrida’s (1993) words, “technology has not simply added itself, from outside or after the fact, as a foreign body”. Technology has always been part of us.

Quite frankly, there is nothing new about technology. We create it and it is at our service as an extension of us. Our partner, our support, not some greater power or looming threat. Let’s move the debate along.

We need a new agenda

2017 has been all about the implications of various emerging technologies on different sectors, workforces, day to day lives, almost like a broken record and the fear factor kicks in. But I’d like to think about technology in 2018 in more constructive, enriching and empowering ways.

Earlier this year, at our Dentsu Aegis Global Leadership Conference, our Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Nigel Morris posed a question that further fueled my thoughts and daydreams about media as we look ahead to 2018; “If the digital economy can transform the way we work and live together in society, how do we make sure that it drives meaningful changes?”.

In other words, let’s think about how the digital economy could work for all. Put that on your agenda.

Making technology work for ALL

The “Law of Accelerating Returns”, states that technology will grow exponentially, meaning, faster than we all can imagine. As prophesied by Kurzweil, the futurist who also predicted machines winning chess and self-driving cars (fair to say he’s been pretty accurate so far… ).

With the exponential pace of changes, comes the necessity of equipping ourselves with the newly emerging skill sets. Particularly within our industry, where media and technology are intertwined, only media, or only technological expertise is not enough.

At a more tangible level, this will require a constant education across all levels in the industry, which is the reason why, in 2018, we need to think about how we put that in place and how we democratize knowledge. Otherwise, the balkanization of technology between the utopians and distopians will continue. Most of the audience will remain undecided but will continue to see technology as something ‘other than’ us.

How do we empower ‘us’?

Turning this on ourselves, we’ve had to think about what we’re doing to support our efforts to become a 100% digital economy business in 2020 and how to make that economy work for all.

Earlier this year, The Digital Refinery launched at Vizeum Global. This internal project focuses on creating the right culture to share expertise about digital best in class. It makes us future proof by empowering all of us to excel in digital, rather than being dependent on specialists.

But we also need to make sure we drive meaningful changes through digital media. Looking beyond the media ‘industry’, we’ve taken a step back to see how what we do at work, could help upskill sectors that tend to lag behind in digital prowess. We’ve launched our Good Works initiative earlier in 2017, to make sure we use our digital marketing skillsets to help accelerate ideas for social good.

Through this Good Works, we’re driving business growth for charities and social enterprises who tend to have less digital investment, expertise and resources at their disposal. In turn reaping the benefits of the digital economy for social good.

2018 needs to be a year of how we tackle the changes, instead of simply staring them in the face. That’s so 2017…