There was a time when the people’s vote meant something. Either it meant you trusted the company, you had a passionate interest in its product, or you simply thought it was a cool idea. Why else would you show up to vote?

This year will mark the end of a decade of trusting in the people’s vote and it’s all because of social networking.  Today, the winner of the people’s vote is content-free; it’s a cross between a popularity contest, a shouting match, and a hacker’s club.

This year’s popular vote for The Last Gadget Standing and Mobile Apps Showdown made Florida’s hanging chads look like child’s play. Here’s how we noticed that our world had changed. A product that hasn’t even been announced yet starts to get thousands of votes on our people’s choice voting page – so many votes that our servers  crawl to a halt.

Suspicions heightened, I make a call to the company asking how it’s possible for them to have such a strong lead. They proceed to tell me the story of the ShayTards – evangelical followers of a guy named Shay Carl, whose disciples hang on to his every blog. “He’s our spokesperson,” the company tells me, “his people will do whatever he tells them to do.”

Who knew? Now, I call a few other companies to see what they’ve been doing to garner votes and it runs the gamut from email blasts to hiring professional bloggers. The comment fields for each product are filled with useless endorsements like “Cool product”  at best, or “I was told to vote here” at worst.   Meanwhile, the website is nearly at a standstill and my office is under siege from voters complaining about not being able to access the site.

A quick call to our hosting company results in an upgrade to more space. No improvement. A second call results in a second upgrade. Like the kid who keeps getting detention in school we start to realize we’ve got bigger problems than server space. Turns out there were 40 “denial of service” scripts running against our voting page. They made it impossible to vote and they were equally impossible to track down to a source.

Finally we moved our vote to a hosting company that’s probably one level below DOD clearance (at great expense, I might add). We believe that we’re back on track. But who knows?

The point of the story? If you’re naïve enough to believe that crowd sourcing is really indicative of what the crowd thinks, or that the people can be trusted to vote thoughtfully based on real information…think again. I used to believe that the people knew best; now I believe that they’ll do whatever it takes.

Last Gadget and Mobile Apps will continue, but you better believe that the rules will change.

For now, we’re still honoring the people’s vote. Head over to Mobile Apps Showdown or Last Gadget Standing and do your civic duty.

Sometimes predications are a matter of WHEN not IF. As mom always says, if you wait long enough, anything can happen. So where do the next few trends fall on the predication radar screen? Beep…boop…beep…boop…

NOT ANYTIME SOON

3D – By all measures except perhaps kids’ movies in theatres, 3D has been a bust. Nintendo’s 3DS made a weak showing. Much to the dismay of the industry, very few of us are sitting in front of our TVs with glasses affixed to our noses, watching things reach out to try and touch us. Glasses-free, glasses-less, universal glasses…it doesn’t seem to make much difference. Until the ecosystem of content and delivery gets a shot of adrenaline, 3D will remain on the fringe.

The Internet of Connected Things – Lots has been written about the Internet of Things, where every appliance in your home from TVs to fridges to toasters has its own IP address and can be controlled remotely from anywhere. Smart appliances like LG’s lineup get toted out for display each year but never seem to sell particularly well. Controlling your oven remotely is a recipe for a fire drill, though new models like Connectio are on the horizon.

DOABLE

The Minority Report – There will be no more passwords, as increasingly powerful phones and sensors will store your personal biometric information, enabling machines to automatically know that YOU are YOU. Most professional laptops already have finger swipe security and many are beginning to look at face recognition.

GOING THE WRONG WAY

The Internet Connected Car – Two forces are at play against each other here: the need to be always connected and entertained at the same time, versus the need to be safe. Sadly, the entertainment part of the Internet Connected Car (Bluetooth, iPod hook ups, internet in the car) is progressing faster than many of the safety devices. Toyota Entune, BMW/Mini Connect, Audi Connect, Hyundai BlueLink, and Ford Sync AppLink are all showcasing connected entertainment systems. Onstar-like devices, drowsy alerts, and parking/vision aids are few and far between. At this year’s International CES there will be a bevy of car companies though few in the safe drivers-tech zone. Read more here.

QUIET REVOLUTIONS

Translation Engines – Like autocorrect, translating a website from one language to another was the butt of lots of internet jokes. The ability to translate a site, or an email, using free tools like Google Translate has made the world a smaller, closer place.

The Mobile Revolution – There’s no going back now: phones, tablets and new ultra books have made it possible to live the truly un-tethered life. Cloud storage, for the most part, is a pretty easy transition for  consumers used to sharing photos, music and other media from “somewhere out there”.

On the Prediction Horizon for 2012

Body-Monitoring Tech – Monitoring our vital signs from blood pressure to weight, from miles walked to heartbeats per minute will provide an increasingly accurate picture of what we’re made of. What we decide to do with all of these monitors, that’s another story. We’ll become increasingly convinced that life is a game. You’ll get points for shopping, exercising, eating well and lowering your carbon footprint – all redeemable for stuff you like. Wearable technology will become increasingly real, but lead by companies like Adidas, Columbia Sportswear and other outdoor-minded leaders. Skinner would have a field day with this stuff, but ultimately this will be the year of “a better you” because of tech.

Happy Techy New Year!