Top Tech Trend #3: The Rise of the Implicit Web

Historically, the Web delivered most of its value by satisfying explicit user actions—users entered a search query on Google, users entered a review on Yelp, user added their friends on Facebook.

However, as people spend more time online (and perform more of their activities online), they leave a trail of "digital breadcrumbs" that expose data about themselves. The result is an immense amount of implicit user data. Netflix knows what movies I watch and like. Apple knows what music I purchase and listen to. Amazon knows what books I purchase and like. Evite knows what events and parties I'm going to. TiVo knows what TV shows I like. OpenTable knows where I like to eat. Fandango knows what movies I go to. Ticketmaster knows what shows I've seen. American Express knows my spending habits.

However, until now, that data has existed in silos. There has been no easy way for me (as a user) to access and benefit from that data. The next big wave of Internet value creation will come to those companies that can deliver value based on the implicit use of these data sources—by taking advantage of these existing data repositories in novel ways.

Category:

Science & Technology

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• implicit+web
• churchill+club
• josh+kopelman
• internet