As I get older, time seems to move faster ... but it's also true that as I get older, more is accomplished every minute.
Technology is a powerful force function. In fact, the amount of data in the digital universe effectively doubles every two years.
Every couple of years, I revisit a chart about how much data is generated every minute on the internet.
In reverse chronological order, here's 2018, 2015, and 2011.
Here's an excerpt from 2015 for some perspective:
Compared to 2008 here is what's happened with social networks:
- The number of people online has more than doubled from 1.4 billion to over 3 billion (2021 #: 5.2 billion)
- Facebook has gone from 80 million users to more than 1.4 billion (2021 #: 2.89 billion
- Twitter had 2 million accounts and now it is 300 million and counting. (2021 #: 206 million ACTIVE users after a big bot deletion)
- The number of smartphones was 250 million in 2008 and today there are more than 2 billion. That is an 800% increase! (2021 #: 6.37 billion)
Today this is what happens every minute on the web.
- 4 million search queries on Google
- Facebook users share 2.46 million pieces of content
- Email users send 204 million messages
Throughout its (pretty short) history, the internet has been arguably the most important battlefield for relevancy and innovation.
So, what does the internet look like in 2021?
DOMO via visualcapitalist
Looking at the list, we see new editions like Clubhouse and Strava. Partially due to the quarantine, you're still seeing an increase in digital cash transfers with tools like Venmo, an increase in e-commerce shops like Shopify, and an increase in (you guessed it) collaboration tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Just to pick out some of the key figures in the chart this year.
Before 2020, I already thought that big tech had a massive influence on our lives. Yet, somehow this past year has pushed their impact even higher.
One other thing this chart also helps put into perspective is the rapid rate of adoption. As you look at different year's charts, you can see how quickly apps have become part of the cultural zeitgeist.
How do you think these numbers will grow or change in 2022?
When you ask children what they want to be, many likely say YouTuber, Influencer, or some other variant of that theme.
Influence is a complicated thing. From an abstract perspective, it's the ability to affect someone else's behavior. A high schooler can influence their classmates. As entrepreneurs, we can influence our employees, our industry, and more. You can have immense influence over a small number of people or a little bit of influence over many people - both still count as "influence."
But, in this case, many of the most popular influencers aren't famous for changing the world; they are celebrities or just famous for being famous.
Below is a chart of the top 50 "influencers" by social media platform.
via visualcapitalist
In the digital age, it's worth acknowledging social reach as power. People with a large platform have the opportunity to exert enormous influence - and it's why you often see the spread of misinformation reach far, fast.
It would be interesting to see how many of these people use their platforms to be a beacon to their followers (rather than a beacon to attract followers).
It would also be interesting to see how much (or little) engagement many of these "influencers" actually have with their followers (and how that level of engagement relates to the growth or decay of their followings).
While I assume that the readers of this post aren't in the business of being "Influencers," Most of us recognize the value of influence – and getting more of it.
As a result, it is probably worth thinking about influence as an asset. And now is time to think strategically about how to grow and use that asset better.
Last week, ESPN televised a blow-out of Ohio's Bishop Sycamore high school football program by Florida's IMG Academy. The score was 58-0. But that has little to do with this story.
Why do you care, and why am I writing about this? Because the story is crazy – and Bishop Sycamore is now under investigation for fraud.
The supposed school in Colombus, Ohio, is not recognized by the state's athletic association … and the department of education doesn't list a school with that name. Despite that, they somehow scammed ESPN into scheduling the game.
Here are some of the troubling data-points.
The director of Bishop Sycamore claims the school is not a scam, and his son is in the program. On the other hand, the “school” currently doesn't even have a working website.
It's impressive that in this era of information access, a school could defraud the nation, not once, but twice.
I even heard that Cam Newton got picked up by Bishop Sycamore after getting dropped from the Patriots.
Not really … but this is an interesting story – and reflects how easy it is for “fake” things and get real coverage.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.
My mother watches the news religiously. To her credit, she watches a variety of sources and creates her own takeaways based on them. Regardless, there's a common theme in all the sources she watched – they focus on fear or shock-inducing stories with a negative bias. As you might guess, I hear it when I talk with her.
While I value being informed, I also value things that nourish or make you stronger (as opposed to things that make you weak or less hopeful).
Negativity Sells.
Sure, news sources throw in the occasional feel-good story as a pattern interrupt ... but their focus skews negative. History shows that stories about improvement or the things that work simply don't grab eyeballs, attention, or ratings consistently.
The reality is that negativity sells. If everything were great all the time, people wouldn't need to buy as many products, they wouldn't need to watch the news, and this cycle wouldn't continue.
It's worth acknowledging and understanding the perils our society is facing, but it's also worth focusing on the ways humanity is expanding and improving.
As a brief respite from the unending doom and gloom of mainstream media, Information Is Beautiful has a section of their site focused on "Beautiful News".
It's a collection of simple data visualizations for positive trends, it's updated daily, and can be sorted by topic.
Beautiful News via Information Is Beautiful
If you're looking for more "good news", here's a list of 10 sources focusing on good news.
Streaming services were big winners during the pandemic. While that wasn't surprising, their subscriber growth and usage surge are impressive.
VisualCapitalist put together an infographic highlighting the numbers.
via VisualCapitalist
I enjoyed the chart, and had a couple of different takeaways:
Interesting stuff and large numbers!
How will the world re-opening impact those numbers? How about 5 years from now? What do you think?
Will virtual reality and augmented reality start to impact these numbers?
With that much money and on the line, I expect this to remain an industry segment primed for innovation, growth ... and a few surprises.
Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - December 19th, 2021
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Lighter Links:
Trading Links:
Posted at 06:23 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Gadgets, Games, Healthy Lifestyle, Ideas, Just for Fun, Market Commentary, Science, Sports, Television, Trading, Trading Tools, Travel, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
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