The document discusses future trends in web and social media, including the rise of circular narratives, juxtaposition of content to create meaning, and use of APIs by brands to distribute content across platforms. It notes how circular narratives allow brands to tell stories through various touchpoints and devices in a way that is linear to the viewer but circular to the brand. The importance of contrast and juxtaposition of images or messages is discussed, drawing on Eisenstein's theory of "montage of attractions" from the 1920s. The dominance of APIs and ability of brands to distribute content through third-party applications is also covered.
Cloud Frontiers: A Deep Dive into Serverless Spatial Data and FME
Future Web Trends
1. Future Web Trends
Where brands, people, and technology meet.
Presented at Colle + McVoy, January 23, 2009
2. Stop Chasing
‣Trying to find the coolest shiny object will not help you
‣Google has looked at over one trillion pages
‣How much information will be created this year?
‣Four Exabytes
‣(4.0x10^19)
3. Look for the larger framework
‣Don’t start with the story
‣Start with the narrative
‣The entire arc of communication
‣Pick the best parts
‣Create subtext
‣Make them technologically available
4. Aristotle
‣Poetics
‣The art of imitating life
‣Linear Narrative
‣Beginning, middle, end
‣350 BCE
5. Poetry is the Foundation of Narrative
‣Poets have always been civilization’s systems thinkers
‣Taking complex societal movements
‣Expressing these concepts in concise, evocative terms
‣Requires deft manipulation of narrative conventions
‣Billy Collins, “Aristotle”
11. Classic 3-Act Narrative
‣Broadly, this is this is the framework we use to create stories
Visible Story
Beginning Middle End
Complete
Narrative
Linear timeline
12. Classic Campaigns
These videos, as well as the navigation above it are both examples of
classic beginning-middle-end narrative convention. It works!
Beginning Middle End
13. Circular Narrative
What makes circular narrative different, in this broad stroke, is that the
visible storyline is detached from the linear timeline which it refers to.
story
Circular Narrative
Beginning Middle End
Complete
Narrative
Linear timeline Story takes place
after main timeline
14. What is the result of well-
executed circular narrative?
16. Citizen Kane Structure
We try to solve the mystery of Kane’s last word, “Rosebud” by
‣
learning about his life through the filter of those who were
closest to him.
18. Mapping the Story Viewer
‣And if we were to create a Kane’s
Wal ter
Thatc her
conceptual model of this Life
interaction: M r B er ns tein
J e didia h
Lel and
Character interactions with
Rosebud
Kane to explain Rosebud
M r. Thomp s on
Sus a n
Al e x a nde r
Exposed in scenes to the S er vant
viewer through character
filter
19. This is Social Media Community User
Experience
Public Internet
‣When Will Evans Brand
visualized brand-
Branded
Public Content
centered social
Brand Brand
media, it was clear Community
this is the same
model as circular
narrative
Brand
Lifes t yl e/
Editor ial
Find out more about Will at
Brand
blog.semanticfoundry.com
29. Claus Facebook Page User Experience
Viewer
Each media object filters MP3s
narrative from the brand to Claus
the product, through the
Claus character, to the
Video
e - c ard
audience.
Palm
Centro
Sadly, this nice, effective
(90k+ friends) circular The Wal l
G if t
narrative was planned in a ap p l ic ation
linear model, leading to....
Naught y
or
N ice
Claus as circular narrative first published by Adam Broitman http://amediacirc.us/
32. The greater meaning of
juxtaposition
An idea from 1923 is what fuels Social Media Today
33. Sergei Eisenstein
‣At the Circus, discovered that each
added ring (attraction) increased
the subtext and meaning created
depending on contrast.
‣In 1923, he applied this to film
theory with the “Montage of
Attractions”
34. Sergei Eisenstein: Montage of Attractions
‣With one image, the viewer can
come to a simple conclusion about
its meaning.
35. Sergei Eisenstein: Montage of Attractions
‣Juxtaposing two images of
low contrast (similar color
values) tells the viewer that
these items are linked.
‣A greater subtextual
meaning and interest is
created.
36. Sergei Eisenstein: Montage of Attractions
‣Adding a third image of high
contrast changes the meaning
of all three pictures, creating
even more meaning and
interest to the viewers’
experience.
37. Sergei Eisenstein: Montage of Attractions
‣Even changing the order in
which the contrast appears
changes the subtextual
meanings, and the story we
take away.
38. Montage of Attractions: Visa
‣Creating a desktop RSS
reader with low contrast in
the application transforms
the subtextual meaning of
news to be within the
context of the Visa brand.
39. Emotional connections
in the context of a larger brand
‣Visual contrast of four main
elements
‣Creates visual, auditory
juxtapositions for my music
experience in the context of
Apple
40. Emotional connections
in the context of a larger brand
‣The emotional, subtextual
meanings created in the
interface are transferred to
the store
‣Audiences are persuaded
and trained on how to shop
by organizing the music
that’s most important to
them.
41. Create attractions for all audiences
‣The future trend for
agencies is to create
meaningful interfaces for
external and internal
audiences
42. The Brand At the Top Ultimately Wins
‣Following basic usability, top of the visual hierarchy is most
important item.
‣Contrast and juxtaposition dictates meaning, value
44. APIs
‣Application Programming Interface
‣Allows developers to take a controlled subset of your data
‣Create interfaces for their own niche audiences
‣The conceptual framework isn’t new at all
46. This is Not a Website
It’s the Twitter Web interface
47. How Twitter Works (in theory)
Desktop apps
Tweetdeck, Twhirl
Web Apps
Twitter.com,
Search.Twitter.com,
Web Widgets,
Facebook
Phone Apps
Twitterberry
Twitterific,
et. al.
TV
48. What Makes Twitter So Engaging?
‣Juxtaposition of images of faces with
unpredictable text
‣API allows developers to design this
engaging contrast in environment suited to
their audience.
‣Montage of attractions = any text
juxtaposition will make contrast of messages
more sub-textually meaningful
52. Juxtaposition Between Tweets
‣More than any three-ring
circus, the Twitter Web
interface is driving almost
endless possibilities of
subtextual meaning via
contrasting images and
text.
53. Juxtaposition Between Web Pages
‣The experience of
navigating Twitter.com is
always juxtaposing
contrasting images
‣The only consistency is
in the Logo at top and
ordering of objects
56. Solution: Common Engine Content
‣One inventory of content serves up experience unique to segment
57. But We Can’t Offer Prizes
‣We can offer prizes if they have no tangible value
‣How much is a Facebook Virtual Trophy worth?
‣115 exposures per win
58. Mapping the Experience
Viewer
Cl ub hous e
Server
Speak Par t y
Central
Videos,
Quizzes,
Prizes,
User Data
‘Ol
R el iab l e
Sp otl ight
Home Away
From Home
59. APIs enable the
“local destinations”
of the information age
Put the content, utility where people are.
64. API Push/Pull is Important For People
‣Portability creates stronger friendships
‣Positioning within the peer group
‣Makes usernames and passwords easy to remember
‣For the user
‣For the brand
65. Twitpic: Dual-Purpose API use
‣Put your picture on TwitPic
‣Sends it to Twitter
This is not Twitter. Just using Twitter user data.
67. How Can Brands Take Advantage of this?
‣Start one step into their own registration process
‣Provide API-based functions that help users on their own
site
‣But is there critical mass in social networking?
68. Top Four Most Popular TV Shows
‣M*A*S*H* 50.1M
‣Dallas 41.47M
‣Facebook 40M US users
‣Roots 36.38M
69. The Death of Mom Jokes in
Social Networks
When Everyone is on Social Networks:
Social Networking in Small, Private Groups
71. Now That People Get Social Networks
‣Private Social Networks help facilitate:
‣Consensus for purchase
‣Big Ticket items like Diamond Rings, Wedding Dresses
‣Coordination purchases like vacations
‣Sharing pictures, conversation with small groups
72. Let’s Wrap This Thing Up.
What the heck was he talking about?
73. The More Things Change...
‣Linear narrative has, and will continue to be solid
‣Interactive, circular narrative is how brands need to
furnish content going forward
‣Provide ways for people to mediate societal norms
‣Think more in terms of sponsoring experiences
74. Preparing For Ubiquitous Computing
‣Look for visual relationships, contrasts, meanings in
platforms
‣How do people express identity, hierarchy within peer
groups?
‣Agencies need to think in terms of connecting people to
content, with meaningful design and UX
‣ Inside and outside the organization
75. Think of brands as platforms
‣Widgets
‣Put value wherever people are
‣Applications
‣Brands must provide utility
‣APIs
‣The world is becoming networked