Editor’s Letter, Issue 204
I know we are meant to be all about the future at the moment, AI this, ML that, VR,AR, XV, QC, 6G etc. The future is surely a eutopia of two-letter acronyms. That is, of course, unless global trade, collaboration and innovation come to a grinding halt and we turn into a kind of Cuba without the Jazz. I’m pretty sure this won’t happen, though, but sometimes I have the occasional post-apocalyptic fantasies of deleting the Temu app, dislodging from the fiat currency system, growing tomatoes for bartering and fermenting something for fun.
Anyway, regardless of what kind of future we are in for, it has been nice to look back over 20 years of M2. Too often, the reflection of time disappears in the hustle and grind, so it has been valuable to pause and take stock over the last two decades. Incredible things have been achieved here and globally. M2 has become a celebration point for this innovation and the pursuit of success. Our 20th Anniversary feature takes a look back at some of the inventions, entrepreneurs and ideas that have shaped the world we have now. Some seemed a total pipedream without the context of hindsight but somehow, someone had the imagination, the vision and the drive to turn it into something that would make a dent in the universe.
Over the last 20 years, some of these ideas, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter/X, have disrupted and eroded the mainstream media, or MSM if that’s your thing. To be honest, I’ve never thought of myself as a proper journalist, and proper journalists would probably agree that I am not, but I have survived in this business for enough time to know that it is harder than it was to make money. And while it is tough to see local jobs disappear from a sector I know, there is still a place for local media. Particularly if we can continue to evolve, give value and be of service to our audiences and leverage the wazoo out of new any two-letter technology innovations we can.
Speaking of which, our M2 AI Summit has had an incredible run in Auckland and is now adding Christchurch and Sydney to our repertoire. This is part of our growth and evolution, to connect insights, innovations and new technology to help drive success for our audience. It was that or Meghan and Harry clickbait articles to drive ad revenue, which I don’t think I would be very good at. Probably in the same way that I wouldn’t be good at growing tomatoes.
Andre Rowell
Editor, M2 Magazine