As promised (although a tiny bit later), we are back with highlights from the latest Mashup event hosted at the British Computer Society’s headquarters where a lively offline and online (through the live twitter wall) discussion about the next digital trends took place.

The panelists for the night were venture capitalist Laurence John from Amadeus, Gary Gale from Nokia, Steve Kennedy representing the telecom/internet industry and digital PR expert James Poulter from LexisPR. Social media specialist Andrew Gerrard from Article8 moderated the session beautifully.

Location, location, location

It seems our predictions were right and location is one of the major topics when talking about trends this year. Although location by itself is not the trend, it does influence the evolution of the existing digital landscape. Geo-location expert from Ovi Places at Nokia Gary Gale talked about 5 trends influenced by location. Here are our thoughts on the topics:

1. Privacy will matter – Although some participants did not actually accept privacy as a trend, it did manage to stir a lot of conversation. We are gradually disclosing more and more information through various channels, including through location based services and we do not have sufficient control over it. People will gradually start to voice their discontent over this and the industry will have to adapt. Whether this will happen in 2011 remains to be seen…

2. Technology convergence – we carry so many things around with us all the time, mobile phones, credit/debit cards, oyster cards and various other gadgets. Wouldn’t it be much easier if we had only one device that could incorporate all the functions? Gary was telling us to expect much more technology that will allow combining various functions into one device. This does relate to the trend we mentioned before the event, mobile payment, and we do not even need to wait too long to see it come true, as Barclays and Everything Everywhere announced they are launching the U.K.’s first commercial contactless mobile phone payment this year.

3. Location is a key feature. Not a business – location is not enough and Gary predicts that those start ups that focus solely on location will not last long in this crowded marketplace. Instead, location should be used as a tool to offer consumers an integrated and relevant experience.

4. More contextual relevance (and maybe less apps) – Gary started with a great example to emphasise this trend: two techy guys decide to check-in through all of the location apps they had on their smartphones. It took them 25 minutes to do that. Nowadays 25 minutes are valuable and nobody wishes to spend them checking in. To add to that, ask yourself the question, how many of the apps that you downloaded do you actually use? The opportunity here is for more relevant and useful apps to help us get what we need, when we need it; a quick reference to our data clutter topic.

5. Geofencing – According to Chris Cameron from readwriteweb.com, geofencing, or a geofence, is exactly what its name implies – a virtually fenced-off geographic location. When this concept is applied to mobile phones, it refers to a device’s ability to receive automatic alerts or notifications when entering, leaving or moving within a specific geographic area. With geofencing location apps could allow users to automatically check-in when entering the geofence of a particular location. Gary came prepared to talk about this in more depth but as he woke up on the 2^nd of February – Mashup morning, Google announced the launch of Google Latitude, which allows you to track and be tracked by friends in real-time. You don’t have to do any more check-ins as the app constantly transmits your location and on top of that you are in control of who sees the information.

Other trends, topics and questions that were discussed included: niche social networks, content is king, targeted tailored/data driven advertising and the ability to choose what advertising you consume, on demand TV and the future of digital agencies. As there are many topics worth discussing in more depth, we will cover these in more detail in our next blog posts: stay tuned!

Related blogs:

http://blog.mashupevent.com/

http://technorati.com/blogging/article/turning-privacy-into-opportunity-at-mashup/

http://www.vicchi.org/2011/02/03/risking-location-predictions-at-mashups-digital-trends-2011/

http://storify.com/stewarttownsend/mashupevent-digital-trends-in-2011

“Video killed the radio star”, paper killed parchment and downloadable digital media killed CDs and DVDs. When technology turns an old economic model on its head and creates a new one that changes behaviour of consumers, it is referred to as disruptive.

Popularized by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen, disruptive technologies are radical, unexpected innovations which force established businesses to rethink their entire existence. This is opposed to sustainable technology, which improves a given technology, but retains the status quo. More recently, the phrase has been changed from “disruptive technologies” to “disruptive innovation”, implying that it needn’t be the technology, but the innovative way in which the company has used the technology that is groundbreaking.

“What does this have to do with me?”

Disruptive innovation is hard to recognize and does not change the business world overnight. Even if a disruptive innovation is recognized, existing businesses are often reluctant to take advantage of it, since it would involve competing with their existing and more profitable technological approach. Therefore, the advice given to established companies is to invest in small business, which do make use of disruptive innovation.

When starting up a new business, it is essential to think outside the box and stop following the herd in order to compete. An awareness of technology that has been coined as disruptive and an innovative eye for what is yet to come is paramount. If you do not have the expertise, consult somebody who does. Social Media and online marketing platforms as well as traditional media are free for all to use. It is up to the entrepreneur to utilize them in a fresh and innovative way.

Right Here, Right Now!

So what are the disruptive technologies of our time? Which innovations will revolutionize business models and consumer behaviour? Some trends are clear and easy to spot. Social Networking and social software as well as Cloud computing and cloud/web platforms have been hot topics and continue to gain in relevance and importance. User interface, web mashups and augmented reality are all of growing significance. What do all of these technologies and ideas have in common? They integrate the user and rely on input, therefore distributing power. Open Source is the way to go. Regardless of what your business may be, do not be afraid of open policies, sharing information and, above all, listening to your customers, colleagues and competitors.

Video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8