IAB Engage 09: Mutuality will be the defining feature of media

Following the introductory remarks from chief executive Guy Phillipson, yesterday’s IAB Engage 09 kicked-off with “wizard of the web” and author of We Think, Charlie Leadbeater.

According to Leadbeater, all media in the future will be “mutual media”, inviting the audience to collaborate with it. “Mutuality will be the defining feature of media. One route will be social – user generated content,” he added.

He also described a future containing only three types of media businesses: big boulders – made up of traditional international media companies; pebbles – niche platforms and new media businesses; and boulders trying to become pebbles.

“All the new media businesses will be pebble businesses as opposed to boulder businesses. They will be small, agile and interconnected. We will see boulder businesses will attempt to become pebbles in order to adapt to this new world,” said Leadbeater.

Most people in the industry are now aware of the concept of cloud computing, if not actually doing it, and Leadbeater said that this way of working and playing will become increasingly prevelant, particularly if, as he predicts, “computing will become a commodity like water or electricity”.

However, he noted that digital still has some growing to do. “We’ve only just begun,” he said. “Millions of people around the world still aren’t involved.”