I used to attend SXSW Interactive every year in the late 90s and early 2000s. It helped shape my career and inspired me to become the designer and marketer I am today. This was my first time back in over 10 years.
It was incredibly inspirational and informative. I can’t believe I stopped going.
With multiple tracks to choose from and industry experts speaking, SXSW is the perfect conference to get caught up on the industry, learn new techniques and tools, spot emerging trends, and reignite your passion for working in tech.
Here are the key trends and takeaways from the conference:
AI Integration
AI is everywhere, and as professionals who want to stay competitive, get hired, and keep our jobs, we all need to learn how to use it.
AI is transitioning from concept to practical use. Most tools we use daily will soon have AI features integrated into our natural workflows.
Generative AI now produces high-quality content based on general knowledge found on the internet.
To use AI effectively in your work, you need to write detailed instructions with specific parameters. To make your content unique and valuable, upload your own unique data for the AI to combine with its general knowledge.
Personal Data Collection
Your personal data collected by the internet and large corporations is far more extensive than you might think. This data is now being used for more than just marketing.
It’s time to take privacy more seriously and develop good habits for protecting your personal data—or at least understand who’s collecting it and how they’re using it.
A common theme this year was smaller companies pushing back against large corporations’ data collection practices. There seems to be a shift from big data to “my data,” giving users more transparency and personal preferences about how much information they share.
Other Key Trends
Storytelling
Storytelling remains a core element of marketing, branding, and public communication. Knowing how to tell a compelling story is a fundamental skill for any creator or director.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is advancing rapidly. It appeared on the tech scene 10 years ago with limited impact, but now the technology can support it. AR will be more seamlessly integrated into the products you use daily.
Creator Economy
The creator economy is massive. Currently valued at $250 billion with over 50 million creators, only 4% of creators earn more than $100,000 annually.
Attending SXSW after so many years away was eye-opening. I’m already planning to attend next year to stay on top of these rapidly evolving trends.