Furious's Blog

Programming is often a team effort for introverts. When working as a developer, you will run into decisions other developers have made that you consider mistakes.

It could be a data structure designed with three tightly bound tables. It could be a massive REST API managing all the company's requests with obsolete technology you need to extend or replace. It could include delicate, untested code that when modified, is likely to cause both personal and technical explosion.

I have built systems that contained all of these flaws, or worked with the (sometimes catastrophic) results. Working with and learning from other programmers is simply easier when you can critique their code effectively without offending them.

The growth [which is always impressive from base of 0] of digital media created a temporary [and artificial] bubble and offered investors and entrepreneurs a shiny object to chase. It was long believed there was more upside to be had in innovation that ‘blew stuff up’ or disrupted traditional TV businesses by shifting time and attention to new, digital platforms.

We all know the famous Benjamin Franklin quote: “There are only two certainties in life – death and taxes;” but I think we can certainly say there are 3 certainties in life and things we can’t avoid: death, taxes AND change. And is it me or does it seem like the changes in our industry are dizzying?

Just when you feel like you’ve got one new thing figured out, the next bright, shiny, confusing object of our industry's affection comes along to rock your world. It seems like we’ve been in a constant state of ‘digital transformation’ and transition for over 10 years. 

In 2018, media didn't get easier; but maybe we got smarter. 2018 was a fascinating year for media. We collectively moved past the “Blockchain” fad in Media because, well, it’s really hard to coordinate.

We saw more and more advertisers put the hammer down on fraud in ways they had only threatened to do before. We saw OTT/CTV take center stage with some huge announcements around direct-to-consumer offerings. And, maybe most importantly, we saw genuine movement around consolidated measurement; but even still, I find myself writing similar headlines for this article yet again.

Here’s what I learned about media in 2018.