In one of our most recent Future Signs we explore the impact of information overload and how online dependence is changing the way we think about, process and retain information. In a ‘shortcut society’ of blogs, tweets and news feeds, information has become something transient that we consume quickly, use as currency and then pass on or forget at the click of a mouse. As a result we are seeing an increasing demand for info nuggets and culture digests to fulfil peoples’ desire to consume more and more information. This desire to endlessly skim the surface has implications not only, for how we consume information and media, but also the kind of stories we relate to.

A key implication of the rise of Skim Culture can be seen in the decline of traditional linear narrative storylines in film and fiction. A new ‘Lost’ generation of entertainment is being developed with multiple simultaneous plot lines and endings. The film industry and MIT media labs are launching a ‘centre for future storytelling’ which will examine whether the old way of telling stories — particularly those delivered to the millions on screen, with a beginning, a middle and an end — is coming to an end? The next generation of storytelling is blurring the boundaries between entertainment and communication, online and offline. Many of the most innovative advertising concepts, like Nike’s award winning Chalkbot, are based around many small pieces or multilayered messages which users need to decode in order to understand the story.

The implication is that brands now need to engage people and feed their need for both instant info bites and deeper multi-layered stories. To successfully connect with the ADD audience, it requires a different approach, set of tools and for brands to engage consumers in a far broader range of conversations.