Summary of journalism and media development in 2023: These 8 trends will become important
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What trends will shape the media and communications industry in the new year? In recent weeks, countless trend reports and outlooks for 2023 have been published. An ideal time to take a closer look and compare: What are the trends that are emerging for the new year — and where are we mainly dealing with hypes and good marketing-speak?
For this purpose, I analysed and compared more than 20 annual outlooks and trend reports in the last weeks of the year to derive 8 “meta-trends”.
Trend 1: Focus — less is more
Why is this becoming important?
Achieving more with less has emerged as a major challenge in recent months. Rising prices, higher costs, and inflation. The success story of constantly growing prosperity is currently being severely slowed down. As a result, we have to radically rethink our understanding of prosperity.
The higher costs also directly impact the media budgets of users. Spending on media content is the first area to be cut. This in turn leads to a higher acceptance of advertising-financed offers. At the same time, however, our time budget is decreasing. Now more than ever, real service close to the reality of our lives is in demand.
Several trend reports come to the conclusion: media companies should instead offer less, but make the added value for users even more quickly apparent and, in the best case, indispensable. This applies to communication and advertising messages, the value proposition, but also to the simplicity of the product features and payment options offered.
Sources on this trend
✍︎ Media Trends & Predictions 2023 by Kantar
✍︎ Chief Economists Outlook by World Economic Forum
✍︎ Social Media Trends 2023 by Hootsuite
✍︎ Medientrends 2023 von Medieninsider
✍︎ Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Predictions 2023 von Deloitte Insights
✍︎ Key Digital Themes for 2023 von Kepios
Trend 2: Programmed intelligence — artificially created content
Why is this becoming important?
It was an eye-opener of a special kind when OpenAI launched the new application ChatGPT at the end of November 2022. Suddenly, the possibilities of artificial intelligence seemed to be accessible to all, seemingly overnight. A simply asked question was enough to explain quantum physics in the style of Shakespeare, to read out confusing data sets or to develop complex code.
Even if the true potential can only be guessed at, some observers see this as the beginning of an AI revolution. It will disrupt knowledge work in the same way that mechanical machines fundamentally changed factory work in the 18th century.
This may not yet happen in 2023. But it is important to understand that social turning points are not so much the result of the invention of revolutionary technologies, but rather of their broad application. And for that, it is worth thinking about possible moral boundaries now.
Sources on this trend
✍︎ Predictions for Journalism 2023 by NiemanLab
✍︎ Influencer Trends 2023 by Ogilvy
✍︎ Wayfinder Review Preview — Trends Report 2022/2023
✍︎ Farsight futures reviewed by Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
✍︎ Predictions 2023 by nextMedia.Hamburg
✍︎ Innovation in Media 2022/2023 Word Report by FIPP — Connecting Global Media
Trend 3: Let it be found — instead of searching forever
Why is this becoming important?
When Google presented a study on the search preferences of its users last summer, the results may have surprised some. According to the study, around 40% of younger users do not use Google Maps or Google Search when looking for a place to eat but are inspired by content on TikTok or Instagram.
Social video is increasingly becoming the place where the search begins — or even more extreme: inspiration is found even though you don’t know you were looking for it. In this context, Google announced its intention to make search more visual and interactive in the future.
Other providers will follow suit, which in turn will also affect the findability of media content. For in the meantime, the focus is no longer only on users finding their answers quickly, but just as often wanting to be surprised and delighted unexpectedly.
Sources on this trend
✍︎ Think Forward 2023 by we are social
✍︎ Wayfinder Review Preview — Trends Report 2022/2023
✍︎ Change and Opportunity 2023 Media Trends by dentsu
Trend 4: Goodbye — difficult replacement process of third-party platforms
Why is this becoming important?
Although some trend reports predict the end of social media (again) in 2023, the reality is different: Many media houses still benefit from social media traffic — and even the often dead link post lives longer than expected.
Nevertheless, it is no secret: 2023 will be the year in which many media and communication companies try to upgrade their strategies for engaging users away from third-party platforms. The challenge is to find concrete answers to the dominance of existing platforms and to form new alliances.
In view of takeovers, restructuring and redundancies at platform companies, media houses need to develop a holistic audience strategy on and off the platforms. The answer is simple and complex at the same time: those who can build strong communities around their own offerings will be all the more independent of market-dominating platforms. Some media companies have already understood this and are now selling access to the exclusive community instead of premium content.
Sources on this trend
✍︎ Social Media Trends 2023 by Hootsuite
✍︎ Medientrends 2023 by Medieninsider
✍︎ Predictions 2023 by nextMedia.Hamburg
✍︎ Predictions for Journalism 2023 by NiemanLab
Trend 5: Portfolio — new products, bundles and subscriptions
Why is this becoming important?
If you continue with trend 1, you end up with trend 5: Only those who focus on what they offer can sharpen their own profile in the flood of content. Therefore, the following applies (once again): “Do the best and link to the rest.”
In contrast to 2007, media companies must now seriously think about new bundling and cooperation. More and more users want an all-in-one platform for content consumption. At the same time, users are increasingly thinking about reducing their media subscriptions. Both movements will become even more accentuated in 2023.
However, the focusing, bundling and new development of offers can only succeed if there is clarity about the own portfolio and the market and user needs. Those who want to be successful in 2023 should do their homework in portfolio management as soon as possible.
Sources on this trend
✍︎ Predictions for Journalism 2023 by NiemanLab
✍︎ Medientrends 2023 by Medieninsider
✍︎ Wayfinder Review Preview — Trends Report 2022/2023
✍︎ Innovation in Media 2022/2023 Word Report by FIPP — Connecting Global Media
✍︎ Think Forward 2023 by we are social
Trend 6: Personnel development — necessary answers to the shortage of skilled employees
Why is this becoming important?
“Great Resignation” and “Quiet Quitting” were the hallmarks of 2022, and there was a lot of discussion about the shortage of skilled employees. This will also concern us in 2023 and even become a new reality: By 2030, 5 million more workers will retire than enter the labour market in Germany alone.
More and more people are paying attention to who they work for and where they spend their money. At the same time, 4-day weeks, reduced working hours and workation are being discussed. This makes it clear that companies are under immense pressure to change in the new year.
Those who want to recruit and retain valuable employees must therefore invest in personnel development and corporate culture. In 2023, this includes above all a focus on the psychological security of employees and the creation of working methods that are accessible to all. For example, by building more autonomy into processes.
Sources on this trend
✍︎ Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2023 by Gartner
✍︎ Predictions for Journalism 2023 by NiemanLab
✍︎ Chief Economists Outlook by World Economic Forum
Trend 7: Change fatigue — empathy for constant change
Why is this becoming important?
Organisations are supposed to become even more efficient, even faster, and even more agile. At the same time, an increasing number of employees state in surveys that they suffer from “change fatigue”. While in 2016 74% of employees were willing to change their own work behaviour in order to support organisational change, this number dropped to 38% by 2022.
The last three pandemic years are still too deep in our bones. The result: a growing number of burnout cases, as well as frustration and apathy among employees, which in turn leads to lower engagement and productivity. According to the WHO, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost worldwide each year due to depression and anxiety.
What to do about it? Stopping all change processes for the time being hardly seems to be a feasible solution. Rather, a step-by-step and participatory approach should be adopted. The key to successful change is to find the right balance of transparent targets and everyday measures based on personal experience.
Sources on this trend
✍︎ Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2023 by Gartner
✍︎ Predictions for Journalism 2023 by NiemanLab
Trend 8: Net zero — walk the talk
Why is this becoming important?
There has been loud debate about the climate crisis and activist action in recent months. In contrast to last year, several trend reports, therefore, see 2023 as the year of real and sustainable innovation. This is the only way the media and advertising industry can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
In 2023, companies will therefore have to focus all the more on how they can offer more energy-efficient products and services or even make the entire production processes more climate-neutral. In contrast to other industries, the conditions for achieving net zero in the media and communications industry are good: according to analyses by Deloitte Insights, technology companies are 13% more likely to be at net zero with their emissions by 2030 compared to companies from other industries.
But the challenge in 2023 will not only be to produce products with lower emissions and develop new climate-related offerings, but also to make them palatable to users who have so far shown little interest in the topic.
Sources on this trend
✍︎ Media Trends & Predictions 2023 by Kantar
✍︎ Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Predictions 2023 by Deloitte Insights
✍︎ What’s Next 2023 Trend Report by TikTok
Collection of Trend Reports for 2023
Here you will find all reports as original sources that served as the basis for this summary.
Questions? Further tips?
Which of these trends are you most concerned about? Do you see any other “meta-trends” that will become relevant in 2023? Feel free to let me know by using the comment function or by sending me a message on another channel. I am looking forward to it!
