The 6 Emerging Tech Trends That You Need to Know About Now

One thing that we have learned as a society, is that things are always changing. Trends that are here today can be easily gone tomorrow. Technological advancements that “wow” us today will be a thing of the past in just a few years from now. It is a never-ending cycle, but we need to keep up with the trends. We must ebb and flow with them to make the most out of our endeavors.

Artificial Intelligence

We already use artificial intelligence as it is. We use it when we utilize speech recognition, GPS, personal assistants like Siri, Google, and Alexa, etc. You can hover your Google Lens over an object or photo, and Google will search the web trying to find images and products that correspond to that scanned image. Many of the apps we use, use artificial intelligence, like food delivery apps, Uber, Lyft, and more.

So, how can AI benefit you and the campaigning world? Well, AI is supposed to help improve customer connections. It is going to be able to determine needs, and help companies make decisions regarding what the customer wants to see, or in your case, the voter. It will be able to monitor any changing patterns in voter behavior and increase voter turnout as a result.

In the end, what is helping you get elected? In the long run, it is the kind of AI you are employing in your campaign strategy. Are you using the right algorithms on your website? Are you utilizing a chatbot to promptly answer voter questions? Methods of connecting with voters are evolving in 2021. It is time to get ahead of the game and learn how AI can give your campaign the boost that it needs.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence. Whereas AI has to be programmed to reach some goal by a computer programmer, machine learning as you might have guessed leaves the machine to do the work by itself. It is essentially a self-learning mode where the machine learns without ever having to be programmed. Machine learning is done by observing a specific action or by going through files to learn what to do.

Why would you want to bother with machine learning and file sorting? Well, the results can help determine preferences of those who are first-time voters, it can predict voter turnout and more. It can even analyze how voters use their data and social media accounts. Essentially, the goal and what it can do is create user profiles based on voter’s likes, dislikes, and voter expectations.

Not to mention, the machine can send ads to voters based on their current expectations of the political party. This is taking ad preferences to a whole new level, and this kind of technology should not be overlooked. Politicians from all over are using targeted ads to reach a wide range of voters, and not without the help of AI + machine learning.

Eye Tracking

Have you heard of eye tracking? Eye tracking has already been used by various political campaigns, and is a method that is working to provide deeper insights to ad campaigns and what people actually are focusing on. If you are wondering what parts of your ad are being noticed the most and what is resonating with various groups of people, then this is it. Sounds a bit strange right? The whole idea of tracking someone's eye movement through a phone or computer screen seems so technologically advanced. This is where we are at though, and our political campaign methods are only going to become more “tech” oriented from here.

Below are the different areas of measurement, upon first looking at a picture or advertisement online, that can be tracked by eye tracking:

• Fixation points: these are the various points of an image that one's eyes are drawn to during the time spent looking at the image.
• Various areas of interest: similar to fixation points, this is more of a broad spectrum. Instead of just being fixated on a certain point, these measures an entire area of interest, such as a hand or face on an image. Think of a fixation point as a letter or word, and the area of interest is the letter or word, plus the letters and words around it.
• Timed tracking: this measures how much time a viewer spends looking at specific fixation points and areas of interest.
• Most to least fixated: you guessed it, this is the statistical measurement of which object(s) are fixated on the most to least once all the viewers data is analyzed and compared.
• Order of fixation: this is the order to which one looks at an image. From the first point of fixation to the last point. This might tell you what was the most eye-catching and what was the least.
• Points worth revisiting: when we look at something that we like, we might revisit certain parts of the image. For example, if you are looking at painting by Pablo Picasso, there might be a certain part of the canvas that you are really quite obsessed with. So, naturally, your eyes keep wanting to go back and take a look.
• Exit point: This is the last point that is looked at before moving on. If a viewer is looking at an Instagram ad, the exit point is the very last thing their eyes make contact with before they begin scrolling on to the other things on their feed.

Eye tracking is a lot to take in, but it is one of the tech trends that are going to change the way campaigns and other companies advertise.

New “Techy” Accessories

Smartphone who? Apple and other phone companies have long been in this race to come up with the greatest devices that mankind has ever seen. In the early 2000s, it was all about the flip phone, who remembers their first one? Nowadays it is all about having the hottest smartphone, whether that is the newest iPhone, or Samsung foldable or flippable phone. Then came the smartwatches that act as a phone but you don’t have to carry your phone around. Next up, smart glasses and virtual reality headsets, and an even newer generation of headphones called hearables.

Keeping up with these kinds of trends is going to prove to be important. This is because the devices that voters are using, that is how they are going to be seeing/listening to your advertisements, seeing your text messages, etc. Staying up to date on all things tech is going to prove extremely beneficial to your campaign if you want to stay in touch with the younger, more technologically savvy voters.

Smart Home Devices

Do you have a smart home device like an Alexa or Google Home? Smart devices inside the home are growing in popularity. There are smart thermometers, security systems, systems that control every switch in the house, and more. Using smart home devices to conduct online voice searches is becoming increasingly popular. According to recent statistics, one-third of all internet users are utilizing voice searches. This is a huge opportunity for campaigns that are advertising and trying to get more visitors to their website.

Contactless and Online Payment Methods

Contactless payment methods and sending money online are here to stay. The Pandemic got us into a habit of using payment methods like Apple and Google Pay, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, etc. Tons of companies at the beginning of the Pandemic were sharing their Venmo usernames so that people could make donations to either help keep them in business, or so that they could provide support to those in need. Back in the day, sending money over the internet or using an app might be considered suspicious, but today it is an easy and convenient method that Millennials and Generation Z love.

How can you utilize this trend? Create various platforms for donations. Link your Venmo or PayPal name when requesting donations on your campaign’s social media accounts or via text message. It is all about creating convenience for voters. This is why many companies accept multiple forms of payment, because what may be easy and convenient for one person may not be for the next person.

Explore the Trends

Not every trend will make sense to you or work for your campaign, but that is why becoming well versed and knowledgeable of the new trends is important. You won’t know what works and what doesn’t until you try it. Robocent is here to support you throughout all of the trends. Need to share with voters how they can donate to your campaign Venmo account? Use a P2P text blast throughout the website. Want to do some eye tracking tests for your website? Utilize our text marketing to direct more voters to your website. When it comes to technology, it is not just about using one trend, it is about making multiple trends and technological advancements work together to do something great for your campaign.