Wishes for the digital year 2022

2021 was a somewhat crazy year - between a new German government and new coronavirus variants, a lot has happened in the digital world as well. As 2022 will certainly be at least as fast-paced, our //next columnist Markus Sekulla asked digital experts from a wide range of fields about their wishes for the digital year 2022.

Anna-Lena Müller
Strategic Communications Lead Technology Partnership – Siemens

https://www.linkedin.com/in/froileinmueller/

For the Digital Year 2022, I would like to see more accessible digital offerings. That's a big wish. But all big projects start with small steps: With image descriptions, for example. Or with subtitles in videos. Or with easy-to-read texts. Or audio description. In digital communication, we should all contribute to making the Internet more accessible for everyone. 

Andy Lenz
CoFounder & CEO – t3n Magazin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaslenz/

That the new German federal government's plans from the coalition agreement on digitization are actually implemented consistently. Among other things, it states that Germany should become the leading location for startups, FinTechs, InsurTechs, platforms and neo-brokers. As well as the promotion of digital startups in late-stage financing. That the introduction of a Digital Euro is supported. And also, that a German Agency for Transfer and Innovation (DATI) will be founded to promote the handling of innovation between science, business and startups.

Pina Meisel
Senior Communications Manager AI & Innovation - Microsoft

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinameisel/

More togetherness. Even as an empathetic person, I have noticed that in recent months I have found it more difficult to put myself in the emotional and mental world of others. And this is a problem, as it can lead to a one-sided assessment of situations. In the sense of: If I don't have a problem with it, it will probably be the same for the others. Or vice versa. To solve this problem, we need consideration, openness and creativity. Consideration for different living and working environments. Openness towards our friends, family and colleagues. And creativity to develop things that have worked well with the help of digital technologies, for example, so that they function in a digital and analog world and become even better.

Sascha Pallenberg
Chief Awareness Officer - Aware

https://www.linkedin.com/in/saschapallenberg/

I would like to see not only a digital strategy in the direction of digital administration, the education system and open government, but now also the corresponding implementation. Corona has shown how quickly we can tackle the most difficult challenges. If you can develop vaccines in 12 months that have saved the lives of millions of people or at least saved them from serious illness, then we must finally be able to seriously implement digital transformation. In the future, I don't want to see a situation in which the majority of funding from programs such as the Digital Pact is simply not used. Strategies are silver, and their implementation is gold-pressed latinum!

Hannah Monderkamp
Leiterin Audience Development - Rheinische Post Mediengruppe

https://www.linkedin.com/in/monderkamp/

My wish for 2022 is that people only post content on social networks that they themselves would like to read, and that everyone takes responsibility for the community. Then maybe Twitter will be fun again. I would also like to see a link function on TikTok. If not in the video, then at least as a hyperlink in the comments.

Thomas Koch
Gründer - The DOOH Consultancy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-koch-a3225b65/

As one of the greatest advocates of advertising, I would like to see a digital detox, a real detox: to remove the bad - Fraud, Hate, Risk - so that the good, the absolutely sensational about online remains. In other words: A fresh start. So that we can enjoy everything that says digital on it again.

Nicole Scott
Producer - Bloomberg's Beyond Innovation

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mobilenicolescott/

A someone who has been making YouTube videos since 2006, I hope that 2022 is the year that SEO in video becomes more than tagging and description. Influencer marketing develops a higher level of integrity and shifts more heavily towards to LinkedIn influencers. Multi-channel digital strategies are common. However, many brands shy away from LinkedIn because influencers on this platform have a higher level of integrity in messaging than say TikTok. In 2022, I hope that this respect of status and opinion that LinkedIn influencers get trickles down to all other platforms. Last but not least: “Content is king” - I want good quality content to count more than clickbait.

Mark Klein
Chief Digital Officer – ERGO Group

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-klein-aa823189/

My wish for Digital 2022 is more of a call to join in or an invitation to all of us. My wish is that we all tackle the topic of digitization! Everyone as he or she can and in their own spheres of influence. The main thing is to overcome silos, create synergies and design joint projects. What helps all of us is the curiosity to discover new things and to openly welcome digital solutions.

Daniel Rehn
Senior Social Strategist – Achtung!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrehn/

My wish for the digital year 2022? It would be nice to listen and talk to each other more insteatd of about each other. For brands that pay attention and listen to their communities, but also in social discourse in the timelines and comment columns. So that people don't just wait for their turn to counter what has been said before but learn to deal with comments within an appropriate framework without being immediately offended.

Franziska Bluhm
Inhaberin – Franziska Bluhm Digitalberatung

https://www.linkedin.com/in/franziskabluhm/

I'll use the title of our new federal government's coalition agreement: Dare more progress. Specifically: whether Purpose or Attitude, Social Cohesion, Sustainability, Digitization - I would like to see less just talk about what would be good, but rather what has become better. 2022 should be the year of action and not just of big words.

Markus Sekulla
Freischaffender Digitalberater

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markussekulla/ 

If I can also make a wish, it's that the home office will become a more serious and welcomed alternative for all white-collar companies. Office space that is primarily used for creative brainstorming and social interaction, a dream that may not become reality until 2023.