The digital media futurist presented her newest “really cool stuff” at ONA15 in Los Angeles last week. Her eighth presentation at ONA closed out the conference’s formal sessions with robots and immersive experiences such as the new Leia 3-D.    

Webb uses data-driven forecasting to identify tech trends that journalists and newsrooms should watch, and even begin testing. In her live talk, she covered seven of 10 tech trends. You can watch a video of her presentation and find the remaining three trends in her slides.

Highlights:

Cognitive computing topped her list for a second year. On the horizon may be tailoring language and presentation, not facts, to the characteristics and personalities of the viewers based on information gathered online. This so-called, “aggressive versioning” of content and stories could replace the current matching of topics and viewers.

Peer 2 Peer publishing is making one-to-one communication possible via a browser without any plug-ins or intermediaries. Web RTC is one example.

Recognition techniques, such as data mining photos with thermal face prints or using research based on typing (no two people type the same way), will provide increasing sophisticated tool for journalists.

Social Reporting as a platform for news will continue with social media outlets trying to help journalists do their jobs with Facebook’s new Signal or Crowdtangle. 

Metaverse for immersive storytelling is just beginning to catch the attention of journalists now that we have virtual reality, augmented reality and 3-D.

Robots like Relay and Beam, which made guest appearances with Webb, are used mostly for service. But could robots assist with camera work or virtual reporting?

Internet mob justice has been fanned, in some cases inadvertently, this year by news reports. The new challenges posed to online journalism is to report without inciting. Webb suggests it's time for a review of and adjustments to newsroom ethics.