Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

What does the future hold?

Activate Consulting, a leading management consulting firm for technology, internet, media, entertainment, and sports businesses, has released its annual Activate Technology and Media Outlook, a comprehensive report on the state of those industries. The report highlights the following trends and offers a number of interesting predictions.

• The average U.S. consumer multitasks enough to have a 31:51-hour day. Of that, 13:05 hours are spent on technology and media with media consumption coming at the expense of the workday, which has shrunk to 5:20 hours/day and sleep, which averages 6:38/night. Super Users spend 18:35 hours/day engaging with media.
• ChatGPT has been the fastest platform to achieve 100 million users in two months, surpassing TikTok at nine months and Instagram at two years, four months. Total visits to ChatGPT are approaching 400 million a month.
• Today, 13 million people start their web search on an artificial intelligence (AI) service. Within four years, Activate forecasts that number will grow to 90 million.
• Consumers are already using AI for writing (30 percent), content creation (25 percent), self-help (22 percent users), and personal assistants (20 percent).
• AI venture capital investments saw 181 percent growth vs. -42 percent growth Year-over-Year for all investments.
• Spatial Computing: Apple’s entry will catalyze the industry. Nearly every device will be enabled for spatial computing, including gym equipment, kitchen appliances, doorbells, smart TVs, car dashboards, and wearable health monitors.
• Global eCommerce will reach nearly $10 trillion by 2027, growing twice as fast as physical retail. Amazon now only represents 12 percent of global eCommerce gross merchandise volume.
• TikTok is disrupting online shopping and is a top 5 shopping destination for 18-34 year old adults, after officially launching TikTok Shop marketplace in September 2023.

---