Why? Because everything you do and know today is in a state of rapid and fundamental change from analog to digital technologies. These advances are changing society. Change you must understand to succeed. Digital Marketing is the new reality.

What do you need to know?

You need to understand that we have passed the "tipping-point" in the change from analog to digital technology. The shift has past the inflection point and will continue to accelerate. All of the electronic appliance and devices you now own will potentially be replaced or become "network aware."

Network access will evolve from a conscious act to a passive act. Networks are growing in an organic manner and will become ubiquitous. The types of networks and access devices will proliferate. Your presence, and your network access device, within a network active area, will automatically maintain your network connection.

George Orwell, author of 1984, should be patting himself on the back, though it would be a posthumus gesture. The all seeing government he wrote about will be an all seeing society and instead of fighting the movement, most people will embrace the change and call it an advancement. Even on this question our social attitudes are rapidly changing.

In this decade the early adopters will migrate from fixed to mobile devices and from text to video communication. The effects of these technologies on business and commerce will register 7.0 on the Richter scale. This change will include knowing your location at any given moment providing time and place information for your use, as well as those who would sell you their wares.

The technology exists today to locate the mobile phone or PDA you carry. In the future, your presence within range of a network, may be tracked any number of ways with chips in, on or around your person. This will mean that a huge amount of information, legal, health, financial, and buying habits can be associated with you.

Think in terms of the babbling background noise of a crowded bazaar with every stall hawking their wares, imploring you to test, taste, try or examine each piece of merchandise or delectable morsel. Then think of it all going digital and available on your hand-held device. You get the picture.

The environment will become aware of you, adding another dimension to the time and place aspect of your life. The proximity of friends, family and business associates will be available to you. Your Digital Persona will continue to develop as a direct reflection of you, the real person.

The development of your Digital Persona will require that a number of issues reach workable, inexpensive, simple solutions even though the issues are complex. The issues relate to:

• Security
• Privacy
• Authenticity
• Trust
• Reputation
• Credit

In a world where we may conduct high value transactions via networks, and never meet in person, participants will require instant, credible and immediate proof for these issues.

All of these changes will have a social impact. Some changes will be predictable and some will be ruled by the law of unknown consequences. People will continue to invent uses for technologies the designers never anticipated. The study of these behavioral changes will modify business practices and the revelance of Digital Marketing - while pervasive today - is on track to dominate business by the end of the decade.