My Top 6 in Technology & Media for 2021

Looking back on 2020, I can’t recall a year that drove more change across every industry and sector. The coronavirus pandemic reshaped all markets, from education to health care to entertainment, while reorienting consumer behavior as we know it. 

The impact on the technology sector was especially profound. Use of streaming services and connected TV (CTV) devices broke records, while companies like Zoom and Peloton became household names overnight. And change will continue. 

The pandemic revamped the technology landscape in a myriad of ways. For consumers, it altered how we use technology and what we expect from it. Connectivity was critical. Whether we were watching sports or streaming concerts, being online was the primary means of connecting to the things we loved in 2020. Likewise, human connection took on a new meaning when the vast majority of interactions took place virtually. In an environment largely absent of “face to face,” the appetite for trust in online experiences was heightened. 

Against this backdrop of change, here are my top predictions for the technological and media shifts around the corner.  

1. Trusted content stays front and center

User-generated content (UGC) platforms are cluttered with misinformation, conspiracy theories and fake news. A new study finds that consumers who rely on UGC for news and information are more likely to believe COVID-19 misinformation, putting lives at risk. Meanwhile, these same platforms run ads from premium brands alongside false or inflammatory content, creating a crisis in brand safety and reputation. 

Consumers are tired of it, frankly. More and more are engaging online content critically and seeking out trusted publishers and platforms. This has increased the value of trusted content for marketers and brands who want to be seen next to premium media. In fact, our own study finds that nearly one-third of consumers feel more favorable toward brands they see advertising on news sites they trust. The demand for trusted content will only continue in 2021. 

2. For every industry, consumer behavior will continue to shift digital 

There has been an evolution in consumer behavior amid the pandemic, with more people migrating what have traditionally been offline activities to the online environment. And businesses in every field and sector — from financial services to retail — are following suit. 

Restaurants, for example, are having to refocus their businesses around online orders and digital delivery services, while retailers that haven’t traditionally focused on digital are rethinking their approach via contactless payments, AR/VR experiences or buying online and picking up in-store. Grocery, in particular, is one industry that was entirely upended in 2020, and experts predict that the new habits are here to stay. Present-day trends indicate online sales as a percentage of total grocery spending will rise to 20% by 2025. In fact, 52% of millennials and 45% of all consumers say they prefer purchasing groceries online.

The events industry, which was among the hardest hit by COVID-19, has also moved online. Thousands of live concerts, conferences and sporting events were canceled or delayed indefinitely as uncertainty around social distancing timelines continued. Fortunately, live streaming apps and digital platforms allow the organizations behind these same events to re-create their contexts in virtual environments. To that end we just saw Bizzabo, a virtual event platform, secure a record $138 million in financing for its offering. 

The advertising industry is also being forced to change. With local lockdowns, consumers are spending more time online. To meet those audiences, advertisers have moved away from traditional mediums like linear TV, radio and print. Instead, they’re investing in digital channels, like CTV, podcasts and mobile apps. In addition to digital’s ability to address shifting consumer appetites, brands value it for direct response marketing, which is critical during a down year.

In 2021, expect this digital shift in behavior and across industries to stick and deepen. 

3. 5G will change media consumption and content creation

5G, through lower latency, faster speeds and greater load capacity, will change media consumption and production as we know it. 

At the individual level, for example, it’ll unlock a world of premium tools for content creators — right in the palm of their hand. Advanced photo and video filters and editing tools are only the beginning. 5G can democratize “immersive” world-building via VR and AR, making it possible for consumers to create digital worlds and invite others in. Think of it as a brand-new form of “social” networking. And with the recent releases of ARKit, Spark AR and our own Verizon Media Immersive, the tools to create these worlds are more accessible than ever. 

Brands and publishers will benefit from these 5G-powered tools as well, with the ability to develop high-performance VR and AR ad experiences. 5G’s speed and load capacity will improve graphics rendering, object and device tracking and more, bringing VR/AR campaigns into a new era of excitement, innovation, and utility.

5G will also reshape how we consume live entertainment, from music to gaming to sports. It’s already powering community watching and immersive experiences that bring sports right into your preferred environment, blending the best of online and in-person viewing. These experiences will innovate and improve further in 2021.

4. Online betting takes the next step

Online betting has scaled quickly in the last year alone. In 2020, we saw states like Virginia and South Dakota say yes to legalization. In 2021, we can expect at least four new states to embrace betting, with Ohio, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Missouri all likely to legalize. Others will certainly follow. 

As the barriers fall, we’re at the beginning of an exciting chapter where online betting and virtual content are likely to come together. Fans unable to see their favorite teams in real life are opting for digital viewing instead. It only makes sense for online betting to integrate across that content, delivering a deeper overall sports experience that engages with consumers and promotes commerce for brands and publishers. 

And as 5G becomes more ubiquitous, the types of experiences provided to fans are going to rapidly evolve. That means quicker notifications, faster transactions and the ability to keep eyes on multiple games. 

5. Commerce will get more personal and immersive

Specific to commerce, quarantine and the rise of online buying have forced brick-and-mortar retailers to develop ways to draw consumers in. And the shift from offline to online commerce will stick. 

To keep customers engaged, expect to see the emergence of personalized storefronts, literally built around individual customers. I’m talking XR-enabled, interactive, dynamically generated online storefronts that are personalized for the user to remove friction, guarantee best price and offer a unique buying experience. At the height of the pandemic, as more shoppers went online to shop for groceries, Yahoo Mail made it possible for users to fill their shopping carts with groceries from Walmart right from their inbox, with personalized recommendations based on their Yahoo profiles for a smarter, easier experience that saved time and responded to an emerging need. 

Shoppable content and video will also empower brands to meet viewers where they are and connect with consumers through more meaningful interactions. Brands that can create such seamless shopping experiences and offer unique content and powerful storytelling will succeed in 2021.

6. Leveraging technology and resources to impact society and culture

At a fundamental level, the pandemic has changed how we think. We now live in a world where community and collective action matter, where embracing a higher purpose has never been more important. Technology will play an outsized role in how brands ride out this shift to be forces for good, using their reach, voice and platforms to deliver value to stakeholders while making a more meaningful impact to society. But action will have to tie in heightened responsibility around themes that rose through the pandemic — whether it is creating a path to greater digital inclusion, using a customer's data ethically and transparently or turning the spotlight on mental health and a supportive work culture. We are at an intersection where technology and changing customer expectations can help us think afresh about how to bring growth responsibly, for our shared future.

Looking through the consumer’s lens, how can we help people live easier lives? How can we connect them to their passions and provide opportunities to seamlessly transact on them? Technology can do the heavy lifting, but to connect with consumers meaningfully, innovation has to be underlined by transparency — the holy grail to building trust.