Ten global trends: A literature review on the future of IT, media and the cultural industries

This chapter analyses 10 global trends in the field of IT, media and the cultural industries. Every year several consultancies and institutions, like Gartner, present a group of trends to follow. Nevertheless, it is not easy to find a literature review on the researchers and studies that support those trends. To cover that gap, we have selected the 10 most relevant trends and the most important authors talking about them to better understand their evolution. Factors altering the market for IT, media and the cultural industries are diverse—from changes in the demand side to social, demographic, generational and technological causes. Aspects like interactivity, customisation, and the low cost of the Internet, along with the ubiquity of mobile devices and social media, are affecting the economy. As we will discuss, this generate changes in many aspects of life.