Leading Futurist: Online influence is transforming society
“There is a social transformation under way,” says futurist, entrepreneur, and author Ross Dawson. “Now anyone can be an influencer on a global scale.”
The impact of this new world of influence will be exposed at Future of Influence Summit, which will be held in San Francisco on August 31, linked by video and online conversations to a simultaneous event in Sydney, Australia.
“For the first time we can measure how influential people are,” says Dawson. “Influence is becoming central to the economy, replacing traditional marketing and advertising, and driving the news, films, music, and books people choose.”
Leading up to the event, Dawson points to five key trends which show how influence is transforming society today.
Influence is democratized
It used to be that people were influential by virtue of their position, such as CEO, journalist, or politician. In a world of blogging, Twitter, and social media anyone can become highly influential, shaping how we think, behave, and spend. Companies can ignore no one. As many more become heard, a truer democracy will emerge.
Influence can be measured
Subjective lists of the most influential will be replaced by accurate assessments based on the extraordinary information available. New metrics for individual influence and reputation will guide who we hire, do business with, and even date.
Reputation shifts from the corporation to the individual
Today corporate reputation matters less than the reputation of the individuals in the company. People don’t trust companies, but they might trust the people working for them. The corporate war for talent will become the war to attract the influential and trustworthy.
“Influence is the future of media”
People no longer pick up a newspaper or turn on the television to get their media fix. We now discover the movies, music, news, books, conversation and even new friends we like through influence — the recommendations of many are driving our choices. Publishing or broadcasting itself won’t get an audience — only influencers will create viewers.
Business models for influence are emerging
So what if you are influential? Today you can earn directly from your trust and respect, through tools such as TweetROI and IZEA’s sponsored conversations. This is the birth of a true ‘influence economy’. The $500 billion advertising industry may be transformed.
FUTURE OF INFLUENCE SUMMIT
How to tap the power of influence is the theme of Future of Influence Summit 2009, held in San Francisco on August 31, linked by video to a simultaneous event in Sydney, Australia. It will explore where the influence economy stands today, and the opportunities for companies to reach customers and tap into them amidst this transformation.
The event features leading speakers such as Howard Rheingold, author of Smart Mobs, Tara Hunt, author of The Whuffie Factor, Brian Solis, author of Putting the Public Back into Public Relations, Joe Talcott, Group Marketing Director of News Limited, Erin Byrne, Chief Digital Strategist, Burson-Marsteller, many top marketing executives, and CEOs of the world’s most prominent start-ups in the space.
Key event partners include CBS Interactive, which is hosting the San Francisco event, and global PR partner Burson-Marsteller.
Ross Dawson is globally recognized as a leading futurist and entrepreneur. He is chairman of a number of companies, including influence ratings start-up Repyoot and events company The Insight Exchange, the organizer of Future of Influence Summit. His bestselling books include Living Networks, which accurately predicted the rise of social networks and social media, and he is the author of one of the most prominent business blogs in the world.
Dawson believes that the rise of the influence economy will transform how companies market, how we work, and the shape of government and politics.
Source: Future of Influence Summit