Tech Innovation - Friend or Foe? | People's Insights May 2015
Transcript
- 1. Tech Innovation – Friend or Foe? PEOPLE’S INSIGHTS MONTHLY BRIEF: MAY Photo: epSos.de on Flickr
- 2. Is all change for the better? The invention of the printing press was perhaps second only to the wheel, and has revolutionized the way we communicate – the way we learn, express ideas, and spread opinions. Fast forward to the invention of the personal computer, the internet, social networks and the mobile phone – the dissemination of messages and ideas to the masses has sped up dramatically. Communication suddenly jumped from print to screens, bringing along new exciting ways to reach people across the globe. These developments set the wheel of the digital revolution in motion, and there has been no looking back. Technology has brought the world closer than ever before. It has changed how the world shares ideas - from personal exchanges to business communications. Existing businesses have scaled because of it, and new businesses are set up – some purely online. The fast-changing nature of the digital landscape has also kept communications professionals alert and on their toes – pushing them to be innovative, creative and adaptive. It’s safe to say that these technologies bring to the world some of the most innovative and game-changing inventions and services, across industries and sectors. But at what cost? Photo: Nicolas Raymond on Stockvault Introduction
- 3. Photo: Elliot Nevills on Stockvault In this issue of the People’s Insights monthly brief, we feature eight initiatives that demonstrate how mobile apps and new technologies are shaping the way we share stories and consume information. We also highlight the questions these developments are raising, what their implications are for privacy, ethics and business models. In addition, we speak with Shintaro Kurita from popular Asia-based messaging app LINE about its success, how it connects with millennials, and the road ahead. Finally, we feature the latest issues of Espalhe MSLGROUP’s Sururu News and Publicis Consultants’ The Content Shot.
- 4. theatlantic.com Social Giants: Where’s the line? Mobile apps and social networks offer diverse features, and thus diverse kinds of content and engagement experiences. Of late, the newer features are raising questions of accountability: how far can such apps go without monitoring and regulation of content? 1. Periscope – Live Streaming & Privacy HBO recently issued a take-down notice to Twitter-owned Periscope after users live streamed a season premiere of Game of Thrones. The live streaming encourages piracy and copyright infringement and social networks should take proactive action against this, according to HBO. 2. Snapchat’s Recruitment Strategy Snapchat recently messaged employees of other startups on its own platform, with tongue-in-cheek messages encouraging them to join the Snapchat workforce. An interesting example of pushing the boundaries for competition, but– is it healthy and fair, or sneaky and underhanded?
- 5. venturebeat.com At 11 years old, Facebook has become the most popular social network in the world and recently surpassed 1.4 billion monthly active users. Over the years, it has witnessed defining moments in history and has evolved into a powerful agent of social change. On the other hand, some of its initiatives have been criticized for attempting to ‘control the internet’ or at least what people have access to online. 3. Facebook Instant Articles To make it faster to access news sites on mobile, Facebook has tied up with nine news providers to publish their articles directly on Facebook. This means the content lives on Facebook, and people don’t need to leave the Facebook app to access the content. 4. Internet.org and Net Neutrality in India Facebook’s launch of its Internet.org in India resulted in a large debate around the principles of Net Neutrality and a movement to preserve the free web.
- 6. techinasia.com Messaging Apps: Going Beyond Messaging Messaging on the mobile phone has evolved from the SMS to MMS to IM – and it doesn’t look like the evolution will hit a roadblock any time soon! What makes this non-verbal (and sometimes verbal) interaction through mobile phones interesting and highly addictive is the wide range of features these apps offer. 5. LINE Stickers Messaging app LINE makes a significant revenue from its Stickers – a clear sign the app has hit the right chord with users, with the engaging and interactive feature. 6. WeChat’s Movie Ticketing App WePiao, the startup that runs and manages WeChat’s movie ticket sales, recently received $150 million in a round of B Series funding, and is poised to strengthen WeChat’s popular feature of booking movie tickets through the app.
- 7. engadget.com Inspiring Innovations: Pushing the Boundaries Beyond the virtual world, we’re still seeing inspiring innovations on the hardware front that are changing our lifestyles and broadening our mindsets – pushing our understanding of what we are capable of. (Stay tuned, we’ll delve into the latter in our next report!) 7. Lily – The Flying Camera The world’s first flying camera Lily is designed to look like a drone and can follow its owner around, while clicking photographs and capturing videos. A nascent technology, it could go on to become a game changer in photography and film-making. 8. Tesla Powerwall Elon Musk’s announcement of the Tesla Powerwall created a lot of excitement. The technology has the potential to catalyze our use of solar energy, and frankly, it’s inspiring. It reminds us of what we are capable of and makes us believe big positive change is within reach. We hope you enjoy this issue. Let us know what you think at @PeoplesLab. Nidhi Chimnani Director – Research and Insights, MSLGROUP @nidhichimnani Melanie Joe Consultant – Research and Insights, MSLGROUP @melanie_joe
- 8. Special: LINE: Leading the messaging app revolution + An interview with: Shintaro Kurita who leads B2B Partnerships and Product Development at LINE