New media trends: a forecast of what may be hot, and what may not be, in the communications industry
As the eReader revolution begins, it’s easy to see how Amazon’s Kindle may have gotten its name.
A truly descriptive definition
The word “kindle” has a number of definitions. As a noun, it means to give birth to young. As a verb it can mean to ignite suddenly and quickly, to call forth emotions, feelings, and responses, or to become bright by lighting up.
Interestingly enough, all of these definitions describe the Kindle, and what is predicted for its life in 2010. This eReader is helping to ignite the industry of digital media. It’s bringing excitement to the lives of people who can now receive their favorite books, magazines, newspapers, and blog entries where ever they go.
When it comes to lighting up the market, it is predicted that 4 million Amazon Kindles will be sold in 2010, with 59 million Kindle-friendly devices being sold between the Apple eReader, the Kindle and the Apple iPhone.
And these are just a few of the massive numbers associated with this new media trend. If you are currently publishing information online, this medium is worth taking a look at.
What’s Hot
Along with Kindle and Kindle-friendly devices, the following are growing segments in the communications industry. If you are currently involved in these segmentations, great. The future may be very bright for you. If you aren’t, there is still time. Some of the new media trends are just emerging on the scene. The predictions below are made by VSS Communications. The growing trends are:
-Internet Media
-Professional Information Education
-Direct Marketing
-Event Marketing
-eBooks
-Word-of-Mouth Marketing
-Subscription Television
-Mobile Advertising and Content
-B2B e-Media
-Public Relations
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Nothing incredibly surprising here. New media trends often have a strong showing as they exemplify a consistent evolution within new technologies. Public relations is on the rise too, since the internet has actually allowed for it to be public again. PR people can now reach an audience directly, without having to rely on the media to receive press.
Word-of-Mouth can also be spread much easier with the internet and mobile devices. Wouldn’t you believe the opinion of a friend or peer over the words coming directly from a company trying to sell you something?
What’s Not Hot
The following industry segments are expected to shrink a bit in 2010. Much of this is due to the evolutions in new media trends that were just mentioned. These include:
-Newspapers
-Consumer Magazines
-Broadcast Television
-Radio
-Traditional Books
-Yellow Pages
-B2B Magazines
-Home Video
-Recorded Music
Predictions or more?
All of these predictions are of course just that: predictions. Who knows how each of these segments of the communications industry will act in 2010. However, statistics are hard to argue with, and 3 million eReaders were sold throughout 2009. It is certainly interesting to see what the future has in store for the new media trends in the communications industry.
Join us for our Kindle for Publishers webinar to learn more about this emerging trend and how publishing through this medium may become a valuable tool.
