Mary Meeker’s annual internet trend report 2017 provides an effective snapshot of the trends in the tech industry. The widely detailed and anticipated report is considered as an industry standard on internet adoption statistics. Presented at the Code Conference at the Terranea Resort in California, 2017’s trend report includes 355 slides and tons of information. Here we are doing a roundup of some key things mentioned in the most anticipated slide deck in Silicon Valley.
Key Highlights
- Smartphone sales and Internet penetration growth have both been slowing down in comparison to 2016. The shipment rates are slowing. This indicates that most buyers, who wish for one, now possess one.
- Desktop usage hasn’t declined much, while mobile usage has skyrocketed to over three hours per day per person in the US. An average user is spending more time with technology, not replacing desktops with smart phones. US adults are now on average spending approximately 5 hours every day glued to the internet.
- As we have worried about before, Google and Facebook monopolize 85% of online ad growth. Mobile ad market remains the opportunity market for ad publishers. Since more data and impressions keep helping these companies improve their targeting, it could become harder and harder for other platforms to compete.
- For publishers and media houses, this next point may have extra significance: Internet ad spend will surpass TV spend within six months (in US markets). The shift however will be carried over to smaller countries while timelines will vary. 400 million people in the world are using mobile ad blocking software.
- Digital streaming music led by Spotify surpassed physical music sales, giving recorded music its first revenue growth in 16 years.
- eSports are exploding and a new market. The viewing time is up 40% year over year, and an equal number of millennials strongly prefer eSports vs traditional sports
- The improved cloud technology is making spammers smarter too. Email scam is continuing to rise so it is becoming more important for users to understand what they are clicking.
- Ads are becoming smarter. Following Google’s success with AdWords based on what you type, Snap is succeeding with ads based on the images you share. Ads will also be having access to what pictures users are viewing on the internet.
- While so much is said against immigrants, the report promotes a rosy image about the immigrants. 60 percent of the most-highly valued tech companies in America were founded by first or second generation Americans. 50 percent of the top private startups were founded by first-gen immigrants.
- Voice recognition technology improvements will lead to better voice search. It is now going to become the next battlefront for search engines.
Short Bio of Mary Meeker
Mary Meeker (born September 1959) is an American venture capitalist and former Wall Street securities analyst. Her primary work is on Internet and new technologies. She is a partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. In 2014, she was listed as the 77th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.