The Future Today Institute (FTI) just released its  2019 Trend Report for Journalism, Media and Tech examining 108 significant trends including topics such as AI, block chain, virtual reality, bots, machine learning and ranging into areas like accountability and trust. This report, available for free, is the second report in the series to focus on a broad range of topics both directly impacting media and tech, as well as topics adjacent to these spaces that may have marginal but potentially increasing impact.

The report is comprehensive, well-structured, and presented in a clear and usable fashion. While the report certainly presents views of how tech and other trends will disrupt the media space, both optimistic and concerning insights and data paint pictures of the future that leaves the endings open. As FTI’s founder Amy Webb says, “Regardless of what the next news cycle brings, always remember that the future is not yet written. It really is up to you and your organization. You have the power to create your preferred future, today.”

Here are some examples of the report’s key takeaways:

• Smartphones: 2018 marks the beginning of the end of smartphones as we morph into emerging connected platforms and devices such as wearables, IoT, voice, gesture, touch, earbuds, and biometric interfaces.
• Blockchain: While still early in its adoption curve for media, blockchain will have significant impacts as suggested in several scenarios.
• Artificial Intelligence: AI is not actually a trend, rather FTI calls out AI as the “third era of computing.”
• Mixed Reality: Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (ER) all refer to combinations of interfaces between the digital and physical worlds.

FTI’s Trends report is meant to be a resource for organizations to use in their strategic planning initiatives. The figure below highlights FTI’s framework for how trends can move from the fringe to mainstream and how to best monitor and act on trend signals through four basic stages: Learning, Listening, Capabilities and Ideation.

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