The Third Wave

The First Wave (1998)... ...the coming of the Internet and the online migration of society. The Second Wave (2008)... ...the one-two punch of social media and mobile devices, and the migration of society to smartphones and social networks. And here comes... The Third Wave (2018?)... ...smarter mobile phones and social media, coupled with Artificial Intelligence and the "Internet of Things," making us more interconnected with our devices than ever before. The first two technological and media "waves of disruption" had profound (i.e., "bad") effects on the demand for print and the printing industry, and the third means even more to come. But the Third Wave doesn't have to mean doom for print businesses. The disruption is going to happen-so get ahead of the wave and adapt to the changes that are coming. The Third Wave proposes bold changes to the way today's and tomorrow's print businesses are run. Contending with Third Wave effects will involve changes in a print business' approach to capital, to investment, to employment, to management and ownership, to products and services offered. These changes will allow these printers to be better able to serve the changing marketplace of the not-too-distant future.