Birthe Linddahl calls herself a "Futurologist on the Future". She looks at trends, gimmicks and "things" and tries to discern the difference between these.
"It’s very fashionable to talk about trends, but what are they?" Well, there are "mega trends", those that affect the whole of society! These ones are the most critical and they're affecting the radio industry. Then just normal trends. The gimmicks are constant, you'll always find people get hooked on these.
For radio? Well, there are three mega trends. Technology has changed dramatically and it will continue to develop. Whether it's smartphones, voice activation or even transmission. Technology is driving change.
Then digitalisation. The radio industry is moving from being an analogue island to a digital forest. It's meant that infrastructures have been rebuilt and the whole landscape looks different.
And finally, individualisation. Podcasts, listen again and 1-to-1 online streams. Listeners want bespoke content delivered to them. Are we moving to a point where one-to-many is outdated?
‘The internet is not another world, it’s just a tool for living our normal life’ @biliha #RDE17 pic.twitter.com/ZNGYgBP6aN
— Radiodays Europe (@RadiodaysEurope) March 20, 2017