The explosion of personalized data

Data created by machines talking to other machines and the conversion of analog devices to digital platforms — known as embedded data — is expected to grow sharply over the next decade, according to International Data Corporation Research Inc. That growth will mostly be caused by the conversion of analog devices, like DVR's, to digital devices, like streaming platforms.

Why it matters: Though embedded data will still account for the smallest amount of data in the digital ecosystem, it's sharp growth shows the importance in understanding how a person interacts with different technologies for different use reasons — it's the key to personalization and an important growth variable for media. The type of content customizability that you find with sophisticated media technology companies, like recommended TV shows on Netflix, will increase as embedded data grows faster.

Staggering stat: IDC predicts that by 2025, the average connected person will interact with connected devices nearly 4,800 times per day, or once every 18 seconds.