The next big thing – I So-Lo-Mo

Every entrepreneur, investor and marketer spends a great deal of time trying to guess what the next big thing will be. In the online marketing world, it has become an obsession. Internet marketers believe that identifying the next trend – from blogging to microblogging to Facebook Fan pages – is the holy grail.

Guess what? I am going to let you in on a big secret. That’s right. I am going to tell you what the next big trend will be so that first of all, you will remember that you heard it here, at the WebWhile blog, but second, because it is so simple and also so important and if you are not working with people who have already figured it out, then you may want to reconsider whether they are the right people to take your business into the future.

So what is the next big thing? The trend that everyone will latch onto as it takes us further into the future of marketing? It’s right under your nose.

No idea?
Here is a clue. Ask yourself, “what is at the center of the hottest online trends?

The answer? It’s obvious — social media, mobile apps, location based apps, and the thousands of apps and startups involved in this sphere.

Now look closer. Look at your iPhone or Android. Look at your Twitter and your Facebook accounts. How about your Linkedin? Look at all the apps you are using on a regular basis. My this and My that. You can see the answer right there. You are getting warmer. Need another hint? It’s right there in the form of an icon. It’s the brand you best identify with and are constantly working to show off and prove its value.

The next big trend is . . YOU!

YOU — are the next big thing. Wake up! There is a new world order. Social–Local-Mobile. I call it So-Lo-Mo.

It’s the YOU that is now smack in the middle. An entirely new economy is being formed, based on trying to make you feel good about you. This new world order of So-Lo-Mo cares greatly about your ego. It enable you to readily spread the word on how smart and talented you are, how happy you are, how successful you are, how in-the-know you are. Just using the apps makes you feel savvy. In the new So-Lo-Mo world, smart is the new cool. Shy and humble are irrelevant.
As a result, you’ll become more self confident, more verbal, your social skills will take an egocentric turn. With the growing confidence, you will aspire to become more vocal and independent. You may even aspire to become more economically independent. You will stop accepting every demand made of you – by your government, your boss, your teachers.
In this new world order of So-Lo-Mo, each of us is a unique, autonomous social and economic ecosystem. The new era of SaaS based powered apps, mobile clients and connectivity anywhere allows you to be in the center of virtually whatever it is you want to be. This is not just true anymore of Mommy-bloggers or off-shore developers. The next big thing is coming to theaters all across suppressed populations and industries. So-Lo-Mo citizens consider themselves as the brand. They take central stage. They want to do business with others that are like them and create coalitions for success.
So is this the ultimate power-to-the-people social revolution or just a more extreme version of capitalism where everyone is out for himself? While the jury is out busy upgrading their profile pictures, we as marketers should be adjusting our strategies and methodolgies to the new attitudes and motivations of our So-Lo-Mo customers.