Your monthly dose of the latest trends locally and abroad. This month we look at enhancing the experience and connection of being human in ways that go beyond what was thought possible.
2. A MONTHLY SNAPSHOT OF TRENDS INMARKETING,
STORYTELLINGANDDIGITALCULTURELOCALLYANDABROAD.
3. THE OVER-ARCHING TREND IN THIS TRENDS REPORT FOCUSSES ON
‘RESTORING THE HUMAN’. WE LOOKAT ENHANCING THE EXPERIENCE AND
CONNECTION OF BEING HUMAN IN WAYS THAT GO BEYOND WHAT WAS
THOUGHT POSSIBLE.
5. By way of Algorithms targeting online behaviour, marketing
has started to define who the consumer is, leading to
brands making assumptions about them when targeting
communication.
In attempts to define their digital selves, it is no wonder so
many South Africans are trying to reclaim their identities
online. In fact, globalwebindex reported that 25% of South
Africans are using ad-blockers, 35% delete cookies and
52% browse using a private window.
Russell W. Belk first brought up the concept of the
‘Extended Self’ in 1988, theorising that our possessions
are major contributors to our identities. In his 2014 update
to the theory he noted that “Not only have our possessions
lost the constraints of their former physical bodies, so have
we”. Two years later, his theory may need yet another
update as the Digital Self moves full circle back into the
physical realm.
Redefining the Digital
Self
6. Uploading knowledge to the human brain
Electricity to the brain? Madness, right? Not exactly.
HRL Laboratories have developed a brain stimulation
system that increases the way humans learn.After
studying and testing neuroplasticity of the learning
centres in the brain, a group of scientists have been
able to physically build new neural connections to
enhance the learning ability of the brain.
READ MORE
Source: endtimeheadlines
7. Virtuali-Tee turns living bodies into a live X-Ray
Virtuali-Tee began as a Kickstarter project by
Curioscope. Virtuali-Tee is a combination of a printed
t-shirt and a mobile app that takes studying the
human anatomy to a whole new level. It basically
allows students to see the inner workings of their
fellow classmates.
READ MORE
Source: KickStarter
8. Ramblebot connects distant fathers with children
His children live inAustralia and he lives in the USA -
a pretty common phenomenon in this globalised
world we live in. Matt Walker wanted to still be there
full time for his children, so he learned robotics and
built the Ramblebot, which is now available to the
public ranging from $199 (R3000) for the standard
bot, to $248 (R3700), which includes a robotic arm
and gripper so users can physically interact.
READ MORE
Source: Ramblebot
9. 3D-printed Naked Selfies become a reality
Sending nudie pics are so 2015. Welcome to 2016
where anthropomorphism (Giving a non-human
object human characteristics)
is being taken to a strange new level!
For £149.99 (R3000), you can now send someone a
naked 3D-printed version of yourself. Nudee, a
product offering from Firebox, askes customers to
send a photo of themselves from the front and
behind in order to 3D-print a 20cm high naked
version of themselves. The display piece claims to
capture every curve and crevice and even offers free
returns if you are not happy with your body.
READ MORE
Source: Firebox
10. Artist commits digital suicide by using his own data at
a London art gallery
Artist, Liam Scully, killed his Facebook Profile and
downloaded all his personal data from pokes to
photos, videos and chats posted between 2008 to
2013. Using this data of his ‘digital self’, he created
almost 1000 drawings of his life on the social
network. He then hosted a ‘funeral’to showcase his
work at London’s Union Gallery, and called it theA
Digital Suicide.
“The idea is to reclaim myself into a physical means,”
according to the artist.
READ MORE
Source: The Creators Project
11. Ever dreamt of being a spy with James Bond like
gadgets?
Imaginative narratives are becoming reality thanks to
wearable equipment ranging from scuba gear to shoes
and gloves. Humans are on the verge of being able to
create their own energy and turn any surface into one
that can create new forms of art. Welcome to the age
where being one of the X-Men is not so far off.
Beyond humanly
possible
12. InStep Nanopower harvests kinetic energy while you
walk
While you may be obsessed with e-health attributes
of yourApple watch and being rewarded for it, what if
you could generate energy from your afternoon jog.
InStep Nanopower sneakers converts mechanical
energy into kinetic energy and then into electrical
energy. The 20 Watts generated while walking could
very well power up your personal wireless
electronics.
READ MORE
Source: inhabitat
13. Music on tap
Sound energy has never been so sweet to the ears.
Remidi-T8 - a wearable instrument allows music
composers, performers and recorders to tap on any
surface to make music. It’s a glove with eight
pressure sensitive sensors paired with a wristband.
Despite being in early development phase, the
project has already received great reviews.
READ MORE
Source: WT Vox
15. Austin, Texas buzzed once again as the SXSW
Interactive Festival saw the brightest minds in
technology come together. Conversations kicked
off with President Obama’s keynote speech, the
looming ‘Tech vs Legislation’ issues, Bitcoin
removing anonymity associated to cash,
Google’s Self-driving cars and Coco Rocha from
Refinery29 calling for fashion and tech to collide.
Looking beyond the celebrity talks, bands and
panel discussions, the clear theme of humanoids
and robotics emerged, sparking deeper
discourse about robots looking and acting like
humans. On the digital content side, brands
were eager to display how they have adopted
the Virtual Reality trend.
SXSW Trends Wrap-up
16. “The reason I’m here is to recruit all of you…
We can start coming up with new platforms,
new ideas across disciplines and across skill
sets to solve some of the big problems we’re
facing today.”
President Barack Obama in keynote address at SXSW
17. Creepy humanoids
Social media buzzed with phrases like ‘terrifying’
and ‘creepy’ when roboticist, Professor Hiroshi
Ishiguro, demonstrated a range of humanoid
robots, the Geminoid HI-4 at SXSW. The
professor from Japanese company Ishiguro
Laboratories, created his own ‘Doppelganger’
cyborg, proving the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis
that humans are already stereotyping and
demonstrating symptoms of fear toward anything
that remotely resembles the human appearance.
READ MORE
Source: Robotronica
18. Social and Emotive Robotics
Jibo is a ‘social robot’ designed to be a
companion or a friend. Standing at 28cm tall and
weighing around 2kg, it interacts with you using
voice, gesture and expression technology. Jibo
can help organise your home, help you read out
recipes and recommend you take an umbrella if
it’s raining outside.
Cynthia Breazeal, Founder and CEO of Jibo,
presented at SXSW on ‘The Personal Side of
Robotics’ while Jibo was put on display in the
exhibition hall. His meet and greet routine was
used to get people more acquainted with the
idea of having a personal robot in their home.
READ MORE
Source: Jibo
19. McDonalds hungry to conquer VR Experiences
Earlier in 2016, McDonalds Sweden made
headlines for trialling the Happy Goggles, where
the iconic Happy Meal box was turned into
virtual reality (VR) goggles using a few simple
tears and folds along perforated lines. The
campaign came with a ski-themed VR for
children holidaying with their parents.
To continue the theme of McDonalds being a
clear early adopter, SXSW saw the brand make
use of the HTC Vive Virtual Reality headset, to
immerse customers in the Happy Meal
experience.
READ MORE
Source: Wired
20. The term ‘disruption’ has been used to infer how
technology has upset specific industries, sectors
or methods of communication. Through
innovation, this trend is continuing to upset many
industries with the likes of OTTs (Over the Top)
services becoming the thorn in the side of the
telecommunications industry, the mobile
photograph coming to life with holograms and
cars making transactions easier.
Innovation and
Disruption
21. South Africans create the first hologram selfie
booth.
The Holobooth is the invention of the Jupiter
Drawing Room Cape Town and was first
unveiled at Design Indaba. The hardware and
software were all created in-house. Users can
step into the booth to take a 15 second video of
themselves that is then SMSed or emailed to
the user. A prism is then placed on top of the
user’s mobile phone to bring the hologram to
life.
READ MORE
Source: Bizcommunity
22. Google’s own cellular network, Project Fi, opens
to the public
The exclusivity period is over. Google’s Project-
Fi is now open to everyone in the United States
using a Nexus 6, 6P or 5X. The search engine
has been looking to take on and redefine the
cellular network industry for a while now,
especially with regard to data usage. Project-Fi
has been marketed as a “fast wireless service
with flexibility” and monthly bills that will be
easier to understand. Services include the likes
of Wi-Fi calling, text messaging and ordinary
voice calling. The big draw card? Google
promises to reimburse the user for data not
used.
READ MORE
Source: Onwards.com
23. Visa integrates mobile payment tech into cars
In 2015 Visa experimented with mobile
technology to make fast-food payments from the
dashboard of your car. Now Visa has been
focussing on being able to pay for petrol and
parking using the same technology. The Visa
innovation consists of apps, sensors and voice
activation systems built into cars to pick up the
petrol levels in the tank, calculating how much
fuel is needed, what the optimal cost is, geo-
locate the nearest pump station and even pay in-
advance.
READ MORE
Source: Business Wire
25. ‘Blended UX’ has become the buzz word in the
User Experience discipline. It is defined as a
“Mixed reality (that) is a blend of a physical
space and a digital space” by Oxford Journal
author, David Benyon.
Something simple as second screening could be
viewed as a blended user experience as people
consume content on two devices. This is nothing
new. Brands have been using the likes of
Shazam in television commercials and radio
competitions. However, Blended UX is now
evolving to create a mixed experience exclusive
to the online realm, using new digital capabilities
like VR, 360° video and Facebook Canvas.
‘Blended’ Digital
Experiences
26. 360° video reporting puts the spotlight on
Brussels Terror Attacks
In March 2016, The BBC’s Ros Atkins held a talk
at the IAB South Africa’s Digital Summit in
Johannesburg on what authentic news reporting
is. A little over a month later, the UK’s The
Telegraph demonstrated this through the use of
360° video with their reporting of the deadly
Brussel’s terror attacks. The reporting style
enabled users to be transported to Brussels, to
feel empathy and join the solidarity against
terrorism.
READ MORE
Source: The Telegraph
27. Tinder matches millennials with a U.S.
Presidential Candidate
In an effort to get American Millennials to vote in
the upcoming U.S. National Elections, Rock The
Vote, a non-profit organisation, teamed up with
Tinder to match millennials with a US
Presidential Candidate. Using a new Q&A
feature that works on the same Tinder principles
of swiping left or right, users complete a quiz.
On completion of the quiz users are paired up
with a Presidential candidate that matches their
own personal ideology.
READ MORE
Source: Daily Mail
28. Facebook Canvas invite from Guinness
Guinness, the Irish Stout, used the interactive
storytelling ad format, Facebook Canvas, to
invite the public to their Dublin based brewery,
Open Gate Brewery. This was the first ever
invite to the public since the brewery opened
over a century ago. The invite engaged users
through a ‘Facebook take-over’ (or microsite
within Facebook) plus a combination of video
and photos to provide a rich taste of what they
could expect on a visit to the brewery.
READ MORE
Source: The Drum
29. Earned media for the individual
Often brands use influencer strategies as part of
their earned media strategy, but what makes
people influential? The controversial new Peeple
app, created by two best friends has been called
Yelp for people. The platform comes with the
purpose of having our relationships decide how
the world views us. It “allows you to better
choose who you hire, do business with, date,
become your neighbours, roommates,
landlords/tenants, and watch, teach, and care
for your children,” say the founders on their site.
READ MORE
Source: Peeple
31. For years debates have been rife as to whether
the ’internet is “inherently” a force for
democracy or not. Despite the side you take, it is
all a matter of the motivation and the use
thereof. In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg posted on his
own Facebook page, saying, “The internet is one
of the most powerful tools for economic and
social progress. It gives people access to jobs,
knowledge and opportunities. It gives voice to
the voiceless in our society.”
Currently the internet is allowing for positive
change like connecting those who thought they
were alone in this world, building communities of
commonality and rehabilitating those in need to
be active citizens of society again.
Connecting isolated
voices
32. Offline Mobile Solutions rehabilitating prison
inmates
JPay’s KA-Lite allows prisoners access to
education and in so doing helps in the process
of their rehabilitation. The transformative tool, in
the form of an offline mobile education system,
uses content from the Khan Academy. Prisoners
have access to quality education with results
showing that over 325 000 videos have been
used in over 50 prisons in the United States.
READ MORE
Source: Digital Trends
33. Instagram brings #VisibleMe, a video channel to
connect LGBT Youth
To connect and celebrate the lives of the LGBTQ
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and
Queer) community, the photo sharing service
teamed up with Huffington Post’s Raymond
Braun to launch and create a channel within
Instagram. #VisibleMe aims to make the invisible
visible through the insight that “People are more
likely to support the LGBTQ community when
they know someone who identifies as LGBTQ”,
says Braun. The biggest reason for the channel
comes with the purpose of letting this community
know that they are not alone.
READ MORE
Source: Instagram & Raymond Braun
34. An online platform for Rwandan girls by Rwandan
girls
With backing from the Nike Foundation, The Girl
Effect recently launched ‘Ni Nyampinga’, an online
platform meaning “Beautiful Girl” for Rwandan girls.
The platform is built and run solely by Rwandan girls
who seek to challenge the perception of girls in
society.
The biggest societal belief that the site aims to
combat is the perception that girls can only be a
daughter or a wife. Armed with the thought that girls
are an untapped source of economic and social
growth, the content of the site showcases examples
of girls excelling at academics, sport, and
overcoming disability.
READ MORE
Source: Tribelessphoto