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Shifts for 2020: Multisensory multipliers
Explore how new technologies will amplify one of our oldest instincts – the drive to communicate.
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CONTENTS
Video and voice and VR – oh my! 
The funny thing about the future of communication is that it will, in a sense, be circular.
We can see that visuals are now vital. We hear that voice is on the rise. And these evolving communication patterns almost recall a time before writing existed. Only in the future, our visuals will appear not on cave walls but within VR headsets, and our voice commands will be processed through AI.
In fact, by 2020, over 75% of the world's mobile data traffic will be video.1 In Australia and Indonesia alike, over 70% of mobile phone Internet users are expected to use a messaging app.2 And through the power of voice, nearly one in three web browsing sessions is predicted to take place without a screen.3
The future is full of opportunity to not just raise but redefine people's shifting expectations. To help steer you where people are headed – so you can accelerate your own rate of change and secure relevance in a fast-changing world – Facebook IQ has launched the new "Shifts for 2020" series. In this second instalment, we look at five tech-driven shifts that will change the way we connect, come together and create community.
1. TL;DR
The average attention span is said to now be shorter than that of a goldfish.4 But that's only half the story. As people are exposed to a continuous and ever-growing stream of information, our ability to consume it has sped up. And as both findings are even more pronounced amongst younger generations, the future will be fast.
Mobile makes us faster
In News Feed, people consume a given piece of content faster on mobile than on a computer5
Facebook IQ source: Facebook data, Q3 2015.
In mobile feed
2. Mobile video explosion
The world's appetite for video is undeniable. The appeal of video also seems to be biological. And as we look ahead, we see mobile and millennials fuelling the continued growth of video – especially as global connectivity becomes faster, screens get better and both become more affordable.
Among people surveyed across the UAE and UK771%say that their online video viewing has increased over the past year
People gazeFive timeslonger at video than static content across Facebook and Instagram8
On Instagram, people look2.2 timeslonger at cinemagraphs than static images8
Video on Instagram inspires1.8 timeshigher levels of joy among viewers than the same content across other platforms9
to feel that way
Among people surveyed in Australia, France, Germany, the UK and US60%expect the amount of social video that they watch to continue rising over the next year12
3. Going live
People have long sought to share in moments and experiences together, even when not physically together. And thanks to new technology, people will be able to do this in more heightened, multisensory, collective and simultaneous ways than ever.
All together now
Daily watch time for Facebook live broadcasts grew four timesover the course of a year13
On Facebook,one in fivevideos is now a live broadcast13
On Messenger, people played1.5B Instant Games together in the first
90 days of 201714
4. Fluid realities
Some say the mixed reality movement took off with Pokémon Go. But it's really just getting started, and we are at the dawn of the next wave of computing. From gaming to documentary storytelling to inspiring social good, the possibilities for creating empathy, connection and transportive experiences will only continue to grow. And even as the lines between augmented reality, augmented virtuality, mixed reality and virtual reality blur, people's enthusiasm and expectations for the future of reality seem increasingly clear.
“
The distinction between VR and AR will vanish... The real and virtual worlds will just mix and match throughout the day, according to our needs.
Michael Abrash
Chief Scientist, Oculus
People already anticipate a meaningful role for mixed reality
68%see VR becoming part of
everyday life15
54%think that VR will mean people never have to miss an important event15
51%are excited about VR as part of
their shopping experience15
67%
looking at travel destinations and hotels15
59%
trying on clothes or make-up15
51%
taking a car for a test drive15
51%
attending concerts or other events15
59%of people surveyed across Nigeria, South Korea, the UK and the US could see themselves using VR to hang out with friends who are far away15
93%of participants in a US lab experiment who had just met someone virtually said that they liked their virtual conversation partner16
5. Catering to context
While the continued rise of visuals seems inevitable, there's also a bigger picture here – and it involves our other senses. People will want or need to engage with content, services and their environment through a variety of mediums. You could "watch" a video at work by listening to just the audio or alternatively, go "sound off" and simply read closed captions. You could call your salon to make an appointment – or choose to do it silently through Messenger. People like options and will appreciate the flexibility to engage in a way that suits their needs at any given moment.
Talk to me
People surveyed around the world are increasingly using voice-enabled digital assistants17
India
US
Germany
Canada
The case for quiet
People surveyed in the US say they tend to use voice assistants where they can't be heard18
51%At home
39%In the car
6%In public
1%At work
Marketer shifts
People will expect experiences to be optimised for efficiency (think emojis or messaging) or immersiveness (think VR or in-store experiences). And because people are inherently social creatures, context will always determine what works where. Make use of multiple senses and give people options to use depending on context.
Deliver on people's need for speed with mobile video:
Attention may be scarce, but impact can be created quickly with the right creative assets. Capture your customer's eye with video built for mobile– creative that instantly rewards attention and makes its message known within seconds. And as people's mobile viewing patterns evolve, consider planning around three types of experiences: "on the go" (short and snackable), "lean forward" (interactive) and "lean back" (immersive).
Measure results, not seconds:
Learn to get granular to get results. Measure business value and results on a per-creative, per-platform, per-audience basis. Your ability to measure the right things properly will be key to your mobile advertising success. Strive to test and measure ads weekly, build organisations that can turn creative around nimbly and cost-effectively, and empower creative, measurement and media teams to work as one.
Consider "reality planning" in your communication planning:
Explore emerging technology through the principles of channel planning. Right now, you can prepare for the shift to VR by leveraging 360 photo and video to extend your creative across more channels and to a wider audience than through VR devices alone. And for future inspiration, consider a question that Mark Zuckerberg asked at F8 this year: "How many of the things that we have in our lives actually don't need to be physical?"
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