From Viral to Spiral, Social Media Fizzle Forecasts Cloudburst
January 5, 2012
As we move in to this new year, questions on many of our minds course with anticipation over what might we expect moving forward in 2012 in the world, in our lives, and with our technology. Technology as a tool for our lives has given the economy a new dimension and we make an economy more effective and maneuverable as a consequence of its usage. This year, as predictions, resolutions and preparations for health, hearth, and livelihood convene, technology endeavors top the list for performance. Technology begins in Silicon Valley, where possibility meets imagination, and ideas grow with a well-executed plan. Topping the list for technology predictions for 2012, Vivek Wadhwa, a columnist for Bloomberg BusinessWeek and the Washington Post, waxes prophetic on topics of security in this new era of cloud computing, and wanes subjectively on social media platforms and start-ups, in general…
The predictions are dire for social start-ups, "Zynga’s valuation is based more on hype than business reality. Groupon will probably lose most of its value as well because of the inability of the company to actually make a real operating profit that doesn’t require odd accounting gyrations," laments Mr. Wadhwa, as he assumes certain failure under the stress of frothy collapse, "the party’s over for investors and start-ups in this space."
Although bubbles, and their expansive nature were the prevailing theme to Mr. Wadhwa’s forecast, his ultimate regret is that they are temporary, and expansion is what he believes will be found with the "explosion" of the tablet market, to be delivered through a "generation of Android-powered tablets that are priced at $100 or below." Mr. Wadhwa prognosticates, "For sophisticated consumers, these cheap tablets will seem rudimentary." Rudimentary for some, but Mr. Wadhwa surmises that for education and communication information sharing in new markets, he believes these will open a space for next generation mobility, and business-level differentiation.
Security tops the list of concerns on the cloud-computing front… Mr. Wadhwa implies that a security breach, a major one, could be inevitable. He suggests that any major security breach would be substantial, and would potentially dampen enthusiasm for the pilgrimage to the cloud.
Mr. Wadhwa believes that, although cloud opportunities provide advantages and significant cost savings in a critical economy, "rogue applications" present a significant enough threat that companies should fear a too rapid adoption of cloud systems without the requisite education, and with security as a priority.
All predictions aside, Silicon Valley never fails to inspire genius and deliver the goods on technology … the resolutions, the ambition and the drive are personal inspiration.
Best of luck for a prosperous journey!