The Shifting Sands

I recently got one of my kids hooked on one of my favorite shows from years ago, The Pretender.

We like to watch this show together, some nice father, daughter time. But it was really funny to see my daughter react to the cell phones they used on the show and have to explain what a pager was. These aren’t quite the big brick phones of the early 80’s, but they are so funny to look at now.

My wife and I and our daughters each have smartphones. There’s a little family rivalry over whether smartphones should be iPhones or Android, but this is the world my children live in. They don’t really know anything different.

The wind blows, sand shifts, and things change through the times.

I used to work in the print industry and although this industry is not by any means dead, I was there for one of the biggest declines this industry experienced. Printers went out of business left and right. The competition for price and features was too fierce. Only those with reputations and reserves to last through the storm survived.

And all indications are this industry is shrinking at an ever increasing pace. It won’t go away completely for a good long time, but it will feel to most of us like it’s died in the not too distant future. More and more people are reading books on tablets and even smartphones. People are even opting for magazines and news on their devices. It’s flashier and more interactive. And the choices are endless.

No, this trend is going to continue and accelerate. Google, who arguably has a vested interest, just like DeepTarget, is declaring this truth with vigor. An article I read today here shows what Google sees for the future.  You can read that article here.

The question is, are you prepared for the shift?

Where will you be when the winds wane for a time and the sands settle?

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