What is it about the continuous flowing of information that makes us crazy? Have you ever asked yourself why you synced up your email to your phone, can’t you just wait till you get to a computer? Why do you flip through channels during a commercial break? Why is twitter so successful? Why is facebook changing their homepage?
The answer to all of the above questions is the “stream.” Simply put, we hate waiting for information (or for that matter, anything else). We want things now, un-interupted and un-cut; no commercials and no hidden marketing messages. The stream is what has made twitter so successful. We ask questions and seek out information from other people and receive answers instantly. We have even seen news break on twitter before it has been reported on CNN. So what’s the big deal with all of this?
Well, I think the stream is going to be the focal point for all communication, social networking, and interaction going forward. If it doesn’t connect you instantly to the information you seek, then why bother using it? As the stream begins to take over we are going to see more products that implement streaming features and more products that are solely focused around the stream. Facebook is going to make changes to their homepage soon which highlights the streaming content, why? Because as they say, it’s all about the stream. Perhaps the biggest play here is going to be mobile and how we interact with our mobile devices to get information instantly.
It has become too easy for us to ignore marketing messages and ads, we aren’t held captive to the content we are presented with, we choose it. Pick any movie you want, I bet you can find it somewhere online to stream live right now. The same goes for any book or album. The wait time between a request for information and it’s delivery is going down…way down.
What this means for consumers is simple, we are going to get more information form more sources when we want it. What this means for businesses is that they are going to have to be prepared to give out streaming information. Speed is going to become an ever increasing metric for success. If I ask for something and you can deliver it to me 3 minutes before the other guy, then guess what, you’re probably going to win.
May the stream be with you…
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