The Experts Catch Up ?

I noticed this in my RSS feeds when re-connecting to the Web after settling in to my digs in Paris, mainly because of the article’s catchy title.

Who could have thought that social media might represent the future of information technology (sarcasm alert) ?  In my opinion, this article (or similar content) could have been written three years ago by any number of people I know.

Via the Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge …

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Social Media Leads The Future of Technology

Internet-connected televisions, social media, and the power of simplicity were all cited as launch pads for future innovation in technology, according to a panel of experts that convened at Harvard Business School as part of the HBS Centennial Business Summit in October.

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Difficulties aside, Breyer said the promise of technology meant that innovation to solve a problem could arrive from any quarter: prominent companies, nonprofit enterprises, "two students in a dorm room, or mothers or fathers after they have done their school pickups." He continues to be impressed by businesses that start with little capital—anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000—yet get to scale quickly and build new applications on the Web.

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Just as technology is influencing society, society is increasingly making demands on technology, said Sue Decker of Yahoo!

"The way we live, love, communicate, and work will influence technology, and the greater population will be exercising an increasing amount of control," she said. Decker cited statistics suggesting that in 2007, 12 percent of newlyweds met online. In addition, of the users in the United States, half sleep with a cell phone or other electronic device nearby, and married couples usually do not share cell phones.

Innovation will serve people who want simplicity of technology usage. As the network gets larger it becomes less relevant to individuals, she said, so people want to organize their experience according to their own interests. "Companies that will do pretty well will create a dashboard of simplicity that is very open to the whole Internet, not just to the company it may be associated with, and will elevate social connections in a way that drives dollars."

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