A Prediction for 2020
It will be a year of reckoning
Over the last two weeks, I participated in some online panel discussions in which the theme was "Social Media Trends for 2020".
In these, I put forward a few predictions, but the one that seemed to intrigue my fellow panelists the most was that 2020 will be a year of reality checks and reckoning. It will be a year where many of the buzz-words, catch-phrases and made-up titles, filled mostly with hot air, finally sink.
I decided to throw out a few content litmus tests to gauge the collective consciousness on this and judging by the engagement I stand by this call.
The first was aimed at what I see as a persistent encouragement for everyone to become a thought leader in their industry.
If everyone is leading who is following?
There's a natural logic to this, so it wasn't easy to dismiss. But I found it interesting that the engagement rate was over 9% and many of those comments were longer than the post itself.
The next was aimed at "Personal Branding" Evangelists:
Reputation Management is the Coke Classic of Personal Branding
This one didn't perform nearly as well, and I'm not overly surprised. I've had lengthy debates over this one with fellow Marketing experts whom I respect.
It has certainly been adopted broadly, so perhaps it will remain a part of our lexicon in 2020.
But let me rephrase my objection another way...
When it comes to Personal Branding, you can keep the brand, I'll keep the cow.
Next on my hit-list were "Mindset Coaches" and "Growth Hackers". For this one, I opened the door for a little venting and I crowd-sourced for other terms people have grown tired of. My network did not disappoint. Here are a few I rather liked:
- #1 Bestseller
- Gary V says...
- Anything-Ninja
- Guru
- Influencer
- Authenticity
- Growth mindset vs. Fixed mindset
December 20, 2019, will mark the 100 year anniversary G.K. Chesterton said the following in the Illustrated London News.
“This is the age in which thin and theoretic minorities can cover and conquer unconscious and untheoretic majorities.”
I suspect this will prove truer today than it was 100 years ago and for a broader range of fields and subjects.
The cure is to encourage more thoughtful consciousness. Whether it be an accurate gauge of the zeitgeist or simply my own observations, here's to a year of declining rhetoric and a return to critical thinking.
Digital Transformation Advisor
5 年Julian I hope your 2020 prediction of less rhetoric and more critical thinking prove true....but i am skeptical??
Thinking Differently Since '76 | Visionary | Founder | Speaker | People Champion | Human-to-Human Marketing | Lead with Empathy | 90's Hip Hop
5 年Where can I join the Growth Hackers Anonymous group? lol
Copywriter, CEO Ghostwriter, CMO,
5 年This is one of the best articles I've ever read on LinkedIn. And it can take a deep thinker down a rabbit-hole. But it's one worth going down. So much of modern thought is fluff without substance. The one exception to the list for me is fixed vs growth mindset. Because there is serious thought and study behind it and it has a wider and more expansive role to play. But... Maybe, maybe these clichés are required and necessary for the cream will rise to the top. Perhaps they point us in the direction of a deep problem (mindset and how to think) that eventually leads us to search for the proper answers in the proper place. At the very least it's a consequence of a free society where we can think different things and try different theories for size in the real-world to see what works. That 100-year line is a killer and can be used for substantial ideas as well as modern fluff.
Project Buyer at Shelf Drilling
5 年We are seeing so many similar set examples of thinner conquering and making bigger ever before
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5 年Great discussion! The word 'hack' is like finger nails scraping a blackboard for me. I remember a few years ago one of my guests was talking about hacking-this and hacking-that. I felt physically ill after our interview. A colleague (who is in the publishing industry) and I were just talking about the?#1?Best Seller term too and because it's easy to 'scam' the system - you can become a Best Seller. Another one of my colleagues who I'd say is an authority (i.e. Thought Leader) in his space, had to pivot his corporate brand, edging away from 'Influencer' due to that industry (Influencer Marketing) focusing more on vanity numbers than substance and value. He didn't want to be tarnished with the same brush so made an executive decision to shift.? As far as the word Personal Branding - (from someone who trained under - who I would happily call - a Personal Branding guru - William Arruda, some 10 years ago, if I'm not mistaken) there has been much discussion and debate about that phrase, much of which is misinformed.? Having worked with leaders in their field (both in corporate and in business) I'd say the real 'stand outs' and who I would happily refer to as 'Thought Leaders' are the people who are doing the work, they're practitioners and masters of their craft and because of that people will often seek out their advice.? In fact, these individuals rarely, if ever, will refer to themselves as 'thought leaders.' They are just doing what comes naturally to them, along with a body of knowledge that has been gained through years of experience and specialisation. It's their knowledge, expertise, contributions, and outcomes/impacts that standout in the crowd, so-much-so that others will start to refer to them as reputable authorities.? Time, as you say, Justin will separate the chaff from the wheat. Thankfully with the internet now, it doesn't take long to do some research online to see whether or not what a person is saying is justified.