Creative Digifest #SXSC2 Speaker Profiles: Tom Barnett

This is the latest in our series of posts profiling the panelists and speakers at the Creative Digifest:

Tom Barnett is a co-Founder and Managing Director of Switch Concepts – a fast growing online decision engine that specialises in the delivery of online adverts.

In what ways are digital technologies transforming our lives?

I think that right now digital technology is verging on all pervasive – even if you don’t own a smartphone, pad, connected tv, computer or raspberry pi.  Behind the scenes the digital cogs are whirring 24/7 working out what to do with and for you.

In many ways technology has improved our lives.  Communication has generally taken on an entirely new meaning in the last decade or two.  On the other hand I worry that things have moved so quickly – Google is only 14 years old, Facebook only 8.  Have humans really kept up sociologically with the pace of change?  Bruce Willis suing Apple over the right to leave music he purchased from them to people in a will summed it up for me.  We all tick ‘accept’ without running the agreement by a lawyer (or counsellor) on £500 an hour.

I’m excited about web 3.0.  To me it represents a redress of the balance.

What can the latest technologies do for you?

Most practically the Samsung Galaxy S3 has meant I do not need to lug my laptop around with me as religiously as I have done for years.  The raspberry pi is going to give my children the same sort of chance I had with a Spectrum and BBC micro. I am keen to see VRM (vendor relationship management) tools emerge.

If you are not online, are you out of the game?

Frankly, yes.