April 20, 2012
Weekly Roundup: Eco-apathy, wearable computers, lonely Americans
Posted by: Jessica Vaughn - New York in North America
-Time releases its annual list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World.
-As Earth Day approaches, a Harris poll finds that Americans’ concern for the environment and their green behaviors have waned over the past three years.
-Following in the footsteps of luxury stores in Europe, high-end retailers in the U.S. are ramping up efforts to lure Chinese visitors, according to The New York Times.
-Russia’s Internet market is growing “astoundingly fast,” says The Next Web, spotlighting recent facts and figures on the country’s digital domain.
-The New York Times reports that India’s growth is being hampered by a struggle to keep up with rising demand for electricity.
-A Business Insider columnist argues that emerging market brands are set to play a bigger role on the global stage.
-A Boston Consulting Group study, The Millennial Consumer, attempts to identify consumer behaviors and attitudes unique to this generation and identifies six distinct segments of this cohort in the U.S.
-Young American women now place more importance on a high-paying career than young men, but still highly value marriage and family, according to the Pew Research Center.
-An essay in The Atlantic argues that Facebook is making Americans more lonely. But in Salon, author Eric Klinenberg disputes the idea that alienation is on the rise.
-The solar power industry is “suffering from growing pains rather than undergoing death throes,” according to a new McKinsey & Co. report on the topic.
-A Forrester report on wearable computers argues that now is the time for product strategists to start experimenting with wearables, which will disrupt industries from apparel to media and gaming.
-Fast Company explores the notion that wearable computers will represent a “fifth screen” for advertisers. The magazine also looks at how tracking tags in clothes could enable a surveillance society.
-The Economist looks at how technology is transforming manufacturing and changing the politics of jobs as well.
-The Economist charts the speedy adoption of smartphones and looks at their “potential to reshape the economy and boost productivity across all sectors and industries, like electricity or the automobile.”
-Pew’s Internet and American Life Project finds that as many as a fifth of Americans don’t use the Internet, but says the rise of mobile is “changing the story.”
-A Viacom survey examines how consumers use and feel about their tablets, MediaPost reports.
-A Pew Research Center study of technology stakeholders finds that most expect widespread adoption of mobile payments by 2020, as Mashable reports.
-An Adweek infographic looks at research finding that while Americans are more comfortable with e-commerce, they’re also demanding more from retailers.
-Mobile carriers in the U.S. say they may not have enough radio spectrum to meet spiking demand for mobile data in the next few years. The New York Times explores why.
-More companies are adopting the “officeless office,” or unassigned work spaces, in a bid to save money as employees get more mobile, says The Wall Street Journal.
-“IMAX is suddenly in the spotlight,” according to The Wall Street Journal, with Hollywood execs eager to see their major summer movies released on the giant screens.
-The New York Times’ Bits column spotlights some futuristic ideas being developed at AT&T Labs and says they hint at the privacy battles of tomorrow.
-The New York Times reports on whether this might be “the golden age for inventors.”
-Bringing Tupac back to life for Coachella and what the sophisticated hologram means for advertisers, in Ad Age.
-America’s taste buds are getting more adventurous, says USA Today, judging by new products featuring unorthodox flavors.
-The Wall Street Journal looks at the rise of the hotel lobby as the new hangout spot for local freelancers and startups.
