Big Change & The Internet Generation

This year, the first kids of the Internet generation start to come of age. Some already have. They’re seriously far more connected than those who are 35+. They’re also more networked than any generation ever before in the history of mankind. They’re learning how to leverage those connections. They also don’t just rely on working in fixed-spaces like offices.

They have credit and credit cards. They actively spend online, buying not just physical, but digital goods like images, music, movies and ebooks. Most are using SmartPhones (BlackBerry or iPhone etc.) and they can complete projects without ever physically meeting.

This year, I believe we’ll start to see some interesting new mobile and Web apps come to life. Some of these will be quick little start-ups; 3-5 people building an app for a mobile device or something in the cloud that solves a problem or provides amusement. They’ll make some good coin and put it in maintenance mode, collecting high revenues to start, then trickled revenues over the long-tail. But it will create some nice ongoing residual income with the occasional tweak here and there or it will just fade like a quick fad.

But this is the year we’ll start to see these types of business opportunities pop up. These mini-businesses and larger start-ups will see some significant changes happen in the online world; and somehow they will impact our broader physical world.