we are swimming in a sea of content. i don’t think the average person realizes how much “data” is around them, or that the answer to any and every questions is but a click away. we are entering an era that will be defined not by data overload, but information storage, management, and retrieval.name: ian stewart
d.o.b: 6 july 68
what you do: information hunter
p: how are you?
is: feeling good in the midst of big change. but change is good because it lets you to see things from a different perspective.
p: what is an information hunter?
is: i’m addicted to collecting and filtering content from anywhere and everywhere. the more you get, the more likely the patterns will emerge.
p: can you tell us about your journey so far?
is: well, i’ve always been curious so a career in market research and trends seemed the obvious choice. i’ve spent the last 17 years collecting information like a madman. and i’ve just entered a new phase where i’m stepping back to have a look at what it all means. i am currently heading up research and planning for mtv in asia. a place i’ve been before.
p: tell us about this new journey of yours?
is: it seems perfect timing for all. i am stepping back to take a longer view of it all, while brands are clearly at the digital crossroads. we are all evaluating the signs together. its like that famous 5-way crossroad in shibuya, the busiest in the world, everybody waiting and then the lights go green. which way do you go?
p: is it just mtv or is everyone at this cross road?
is: we’re all there. analog’s behind us and unless the retro trend comes back (again) the fact is, its becoming more like the matrix and less like the amish. there is no choice but to plug in.
p: you talk a lot about trends, what are your views about this??
is: it may sound obvious, but everything is cyclical – everything goes up, everything goes down - some over decades, others over days. think the difference between our growing interest in wellness, which may well be around for many decades vs. our short-lived interest in the da vinci code - which came and went in minutes.
what’s interesting with trends is that some glide in and glide back out (like wellness), while others glide in but snap out quickly, like 80’s retro music and fashion. this “backlash” is one of my favorite topics: when society as a whole says ‘enough is enough’ and moves on. i think sites like youtube are facing a coming backlash but then look at what sites like myspace or cyworld have done to glide us in to online social networking.
cyworld in particular have focused on a much deeper human need than ‘showing off’. they’ve tapped into the asian character of gift giving. that’s why their mini homepages are so rich. what else is interesting about cyworld is that its 100% transparent. id card to sign in means that you are who you are, there’s no hiding. and korean surfers have discovered that there are huge benefits in being transparent – connecting with friends, re-connecting with lost friends, or finding new like-minded friends. this is definitely a big trend. this is the next big thing.
p: why do you think it’s the next big thing?
is: the solution to most things comes from addressing some sort of fundamental human truth. and i think the internet is going in this direction. we’re realizing that it’s a very powerful tool for finding people like me. concepts like friendster have gone in the opposite direction, myspace is halfway there, while cyworld is absolutely there. and if this sounds all too serious just think about sex. it’s all about connecting with people.
p: ok last question – can you leave us some wise words?
is: it’s all about context. you need to look back to go forwards - you can’t chart the future without a map of the past.
www.slideshare.net/ianstewartmtv