“The rising trend of TV ownership has been leveling off in recent years, and now the number has dropped from 115.9 million homes in 2011 to an estimated 114.7 million in 2012. As TV Barn pointed out, that’s a 1 percent decline despite the number of households rising. TV ownership among the key adult 18-49 demo also declined, and even steeper (down 2.7 percent — a downtrend that started to a slight degree in 2010 and then accelerated this year). Plus, the percentage of homes without a TV is at the highest level since 1975 (3 percent, up from 1 percent the previous year).”

The Virtual Forest™ wave is about the internet being a requirement. Personally, I could live without a TV but living without internet is inconceivable. There is so much TV content that is available online anyway -that’s ready to watch whenever I like.

Sony, Apple TV and Xbox 360 are capitalizing on this kind of thinking and are set to take your TV to the next level, so don’t throw out your TV set just yet.

‘A new era in entertainment begins where all your entertainment is together in one place—your games, movies, TV shows, music and sports,’ said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. With this update, Xbox 360 system owners will experience Kinect voice control integrated with Bing search, making your TV and entertainment experiences more social and personal than ever.’

That’s right, with the new software update Xbox 360 system owners will be able to talk to their TV, Siri style, and request what show they want to see and…BAM… it will retrieve it for them. Apple is also planning voice command technology.

The Human Truth™ of the Virtual Forest™ wave is: “I live my life plugged in, there’s no logging off.”™ With more and more of our household devices becoming integrated with the internet, that statement is truer than ever.

However, they went the “keeping up with the times” route, and I’m not really convinced.

“Facebook fans in the Netherlands to vote for their all-time favorite VW model with a chance to win it – currently, the T1 model is leading the Beetle. The winning car is referred to as a Fanwagen and is equipped with Facebook aspects such as the ability to print out your friend’s latest Facebook status updates; view a map that has plotted all your friends’ hometowns; receive birthday notifications and even adjust your relationship status on the license plate.”

It’s being referred to as the ‘most social car ever’. Am I missing something?

The only thing listed that my phone can’t do is display my relationship status on the license plate… which as a single gal, I’m not sure is a wise way to go.   Anyway, the Virtual Forest™ wave, where the Human Truth™ is: “I live my life plugged in, there’s no logging off”, is filled with examples of products, brands and services that want to keep up with the social networking trend. For good reason I suppose, it is a huge trend. But perhaps we are reaching a level of saturation that one would be establishing a point-of-difference if they didn’t follow the herd. Just a thought.

“At least once a month, 52% of people take photos with their mobile phones; another 19% upload those photos to the web. There’s enough of that group practicing “foodtography” to support the website Foodspotting, as well as a 2,500-member Foodtography group on Flickr. Photoblogging apps like Instagram and the latest, photo-enabled version of Foursquare are likely to further fuel the trend.”

Virtual Forest™ is about online communication as a way of life.  The Human Truth™ is:  “I live my life plugged in; there is no logging off.”™ This is a reality for so many of us these days.  It’s almost to the point where if it’s not shared on social networks… did it really happen?  When it comes to food though I completely understand.  The satisfaction of a noteworthy meal can sometimes be the kind of thing you want to shout from the rooftops.  Whether it be a crazy food-on-a-stick from the state fair, a bucket of fresh seafood at the beach or a perfectly presented entree at a wedding…  we like to show it off.  It’s like a mouth watering “check-in”.

The wave fits perfectly into the Maslow’s hierarchy of belonging because it’s all about connecting with others.  Meal time has always been about sharing, but now we don’t have to be at the same table to feel like we are “breaking bread” together.

With help from AT&T, the band sifted through every YouTube video featuring Blink fans making use of the trio’s music without permission,  then repaid the favor by using their footage without permission.  As you can imagine …the fans are stoked.
This is such a cool way to take a contentious situation and put a fun spin on it.  I’ve had many videos removed or the sound muted on them and it’s always seemed so dumb to me.  Some of the songs I’ve used don’t actually have an official music video, and many commenters have said that my clips are an awesome tribute.  I mean it usually follows that you choose a song because you really like it, and the way I see it, you are voluntarily promoting it.  I guess I just don’t get why these giant music studios are taking down little youtube clips that will barely get a 100 hits anyway.
I guess they just are grasping at control of an industry that has really been affected by the digital revolution.
To me, it really seems like they are stinking fingers in the dyke.  Maybe the music industry needs a brand new dyke,  maybe we don’t need a dyke at all… lets let the water flow and all jump in and have a pool party!
Ha! You can probably tell  I’m having fun with this metaphor.

Blink’s fun video really made me think about turning negatives into positives.  Virtual Forest™ has so many examples of web communities creating culture and changing the way we do business.  It sits firmly in the Belonging tier of Maslow’s hierarchy for good reason.  The Human Truth™ is “I’m connected to a big world online.”™and smart companies will connect with connected people and engage them in their “native habitat”.

“Using digital technology, PepsiCo’s Social Vending System enables any user to gift a friend by selecting a beverage and entering the recipient’s name, mobile number and a personalized text message…The gift is delivered with a system code and instructions to redeem it at any PepsiCo Social Vending system.”

I love the “Random Acts of Refreshment” feature, which encourages customers to purchase drinks for strangers around the world. “[A] consumer could send a symbol of encouragement someone in a city that has experienced challenging weather, or a congratulatory beverage to a student at a university that just won a championship,” PepsiCo says.

The Virtual Merge™ wave’s descriptor is “Where the actual world meets the virtual”.  This is a wave that is firmly rooted in the Belonging tier of Maslow’s Hierarchy, which is why the Social Vending System is a great example.  Connecting virtually is nothing new, but doing it away from our personal computers and smartphones at a vending machine is a cool addition to this wave.

Obviously, this is a great opportunity for businesses that have Facebook pages.  To be able to float out an idea and get responses direct from your fans is an easy and convenient way to gauge what “the people” are thinking.

Mashable did a good article on the business applications, some of which were:

• Ice cream parlors can find out what the flavor of the week should be.
• A gym can find out what time is best for its new hip-hop yoga class.
• Radio stations can determine the hottest concerts for the summer.
• Manufacturers can do a pulse check on fans’ holiday shopping plans.

Ben Grossman, communication strategist for marketing agency Oxford Communications says, “The best part about this is that it’s in a trusting, social and real-time setting, the opportunity to gain instant feedback from a brand’s biggest fans is amazing.”

When you couple this with the latest figures of how ubiquitous Facebook is becoming (i.e.: over HALF of all Americans have a fb page!) it makes me wonder if   “questions” has some market research companies sweating right now.

Today, I don’t want to add to the tears that we’ve been shedding, but instead focus on a story that makes me proud to be a citizen of the Virtual Forest™. The Human Truth™ for this wave is: “I’m connected to a big world online”.

When we were sitting in our living room, wondering if our suburb was going under, I felt that connection so deeply… in a way that watching the TV coverage didn’t even come close too.  It was crucial to have info as fast as possible to make decisions about the impending threat.

This article from The Business Review Australia talks about the phenomenon of connecting through social networks and getting real-time updates and images that sometimes trumped the TV news by hours:

• Facebook: Friends and family have instant knowledge and updates simultaneously from those they care about the most, sharing images and stories as the floods begin to recede
• Twitter: A continuous stream of updates and newsworthy mentions from near, and heartfelt sympathy from afar
• YouTube: Hosting a brilliant collection of footage from those right in the midst of it all

“These networks have allowed us to connect in a truly different level, and the band of togetherness that holds Brisbane’s modern society intact seems to be allowing us to achieve this more directly.”

As the water subsides, the ENORMOUS job of cleaning up is only beginning… and once again the internet is headquarters for those wanting to pitch in and help.  Click here if you want to read about the inspirational selflessness and camaraderie of the citizens of Brisbane, that are rallying online to help their neighbours.  I’m proud to be Australian and have great love for the city of Brisbane, but the sharing, help and communication I have seen on my social networks over the past week, have made me extremely proud to also call myself a web native.

Here is an official flood relief appeal site if you feel moved to make a Donation.

It’ll be interesting to see what they announce: a merge, a joint venture, maybe something completely out of left field, like starting a new football team together, or just donating a lot of money to charity for the holiday season.

Personally, I would join “MyFace” in a heartbeat. We’ll stay updated as more information drops.

UPDATE: Turns out it was simply announcing Facebook integration for MySpace. Things like Facebook connect and shared status updates. False alarm, return to your regularly scheduled shenanigans.

The Human Truth of the Wave called Virtual Forest™ is “I’m connected to a big world online.”™  I think we all have a pretty good idea of how vast the internet is, but the speed and pervasiveness of the sharing is the really mind blowing part of Tom’s talk.

Congratulations OldSpice Guy. Apparently you won The Game.