Mike Walsh might be called a digital rock star. He travels the world to gather knowledge and give lectures. Walsh has made it a profession to see into the future, and yet he doesn't call himself a futurist. Nevertheless, he's been given the responsibility to give the main lecture on the world's technological future at a gathering organized by Microsoft in Oslo.

This article appeared in Norway’s engineering journal ‘Teknisk Ukeblad’.

Key themes explored include the power of anthropology in business, and the imperative for enterprise to take a pro-active stance on social media to drive engagement with their customers.

How can you tell what the future withholds? Don't bother with Market Research – they're useless. Don't settle for a new Facebook page – Pour contents into it. Don't ask your customers what they want - Step inside their lives. The trend specialist, Mike Walsh, who's arriving in Israel as Partner's guest , reveals the secrets of digital marketing. "The conversation with the web rend specialist Mike Walsh started off with a technical malfunction.

People in emerging markets use social networking in very different ways, according to Michael Walsh, a Hong Kong social-media strategist who runs a consumer research lab called Tomorrow. "Koprol is conceptually different from Western platforms because it is mapped to an East Asian style of socializing. It's no surprise it might exert a great deal of influence all over the developing world, and soon."

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After having a shower and eating breakfast, you cuddle the kids, kiss your partner goodbye for the day and choose a virtual suit (you’re really just wearing shorts and a T-shirt) and then wander into your office. It’s right there in your home, but it could be anywhere in the world. It’s simply a white walled room, but once you flick a switch and fire up the sensors, cameras and projectors, you see your colleagues all around you, sitting at their own desks, getting on with the day’s projects.