In a world where AI is transforming the way we interact with everything, our conversation with Myles Younger yields intriguing insights into the potential implications for digital news consumption, shopping experiences, and the future of content discovery.
Myles brings over 20 years of experience in digital marketing and advertising to the table. Having previously held key roles at mighty Hive and media monks, his proven track record of staying abreast of industry trends and training clients led to his most recent role as Head of Insights and Innovation at U of Digital.
Check out the timestamped summary of highlights from this episode below (and feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments):
00:00:01 - Introduction and Guest Introduction
Tameka and Lynne introduce the podcast and guest, Miles Younger, who discusses his role at U of Digital and his background in the digital marketing industry.
00:02:57 - Defining Zero Party Data
Speakers discuss the concept of zero party data and its distinction from first party data, emphasizing the importance of understanding it in the evolving digital landscape.
00:07:25 - Privacy Sandbox and Consumer Perception
The conversation shifts to privacy sandbox and the skepticism around data security in the browser. They also touch on Apple's influence on consumer perception and the impact it has on privacy preferences.
00:09:59 - Future of Web and Data Ownership
The discussion delves into the future of the web from publisher, advertiser, and career perspectives, exploring the implications of evolving data privacy concerns and the growing consumer awareness of data ownership.
00:14:30 - Influence of Private Industry on Privacy Attitudes
The conversation concludes with a focus on the influence of private industry, VPNs, and tech-savvy consumers on shifting attitudes towards data privacy and the need for ad tech to adapt to these changes.
00:15:31 - Privacy Concerns and Tech Savviness
Myles discusses how his mom took 15 years to be comfortable using a banking app, highlighting the issue of tech savviness and privacy concerns for consumers.
00:16:41 - Evolution of Ad Tech Thinking
Myles reflects on the evolution of his own thinking about third-party cookie-based tracking, highlighting the condescending nature of ad tech towards privacy concerns.
00:18:32 - App Tracking and Sensitive Data
The conversation delves into the tracking and collection of sensitive data by mobile apps, including sexual orientation and ethnicity, raising concerns about privacy and data protection.
00:21:50 - Apple's Role in Privacy Regulation
The discussion explores how Apple is acting as a de facto regulator for privacy in the absence of federal regulations, aiming to give consumers control over their data usage and privacy.
00:28:06 - The Future of Ad Industry and AI
The conversation speculates on the impact of AI on micro-tasks, ad impressions, and the future direction of the ad industry as technology evolves, posing questions about the industry's adaptation to changing consumer behaviors.
00:30:03 - The Rise of Perplexity Search Engine
Myles discusses the benefits of using Perplexity over traditional search engines, citing its ability to provide sources and citations within search results.
00:32:42 - Google's Response to Independent Companies
The conversation shifts to the impact of independent companies on market share, prompting a discussion on the death of search 2.0 and Google's rush to launch Gemini.
00:34:13 - AI-Powered Shopping Experience
The concept of AI conducting shopping on behalf of consumers is explored, leading to a debate on the implications for the digital discovery process and the future of retail.
00:35:17 - AI's Influence on Digital Discovery
The potential for AI to create personalized virtual stores and the comparison to Perplexity's approach is analyzed, drawing parallels to the concept of ghost kitchens.
00:43:50 - The Future of Digital Publishing
The role of AI characters in delivering news and content is discussed, highlighting the possibility of personalized news experiences and the evolution of digital media consumption.
00:45:50 - Mr. Beast and the Evolution of Entertainment
Lynne discusses how Mr. Beast is today's Merv Griffin, revolutionizing entertainment for the digital age with spectacle and short attention spans.
00:47:13 - Personalized AI Content
The conversation shifts to the future of AI and personalized content. Lynne and Myles discuss concerns about bias in AI and the potential for more diverse training data to improve content diversity.
00:49:46 - Limitations of Programming Rules in AI
Lynne and Myles explore the limitations of programming explicit rules into AI and the potential impact of training models on recent, diverse data. They debate the implications of web search being trained on older versus more recent information.
00:50:51 - Nostalgia and Old School Content
The conversation touches on the nostalgia and value of old school content, discussing the balance between embracing diverse voices and being mindful of the potential negative impact of echo chambers in digital media.
00:51:57 - Closing Remarks and Invitation
The episode concludes with Tameka, Lynne, and Myles sharing contact information and inviting listeners to subscribe to UOf digital newsletters. They express their excitement for feedback and future conversations on the podcast.
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