Make no mistake about it, virtual reality is poised to become a mainstream platform that completely reinvents how we work, play, share, and collaborate, but it's not quite there yet. Price and accessibility, as well as strained eyes, sore necks, and nausea will all keep the tech from scaling to the masses this year despite the upcoming release of headsets from Sony, HTC, and Facebook-owned Oculus.

Machines will become increasingly adept at understanding natural language, powering a boom in artificial intelligence driven automation. With heavy investments in deep learning coming from tech giants (Apple, Facebook, and Google) and car companies (Toyota) alike, A.I. has the backing for exponential growth. Virtual assistants, like Amy, will make booking calendars and transactional information exchanges a thing of the past. Inbox zero will no longer be the stuff of daydreams when your inbox can anticipate your response and reply for you.

Share of attention will be the rising metric brands fight for in 2016 as dated media metrics like clicks and impressions are retired to the vanity metric graveyard. With ad-blocking now ubiquitous, advertisers need to focus on earning and holding the mindshare of the consumer. A growing emphasis will be placed on "return on experience" metrics that measure whether a user engagement actually leaves an impact beyond a momentary impression.

Live engagement platforms, like Twitch and Periscope, will be the battleground where brands compete for viewers and authentic engagements. Twitch, (purchased by Amazon in 2014 for $970 million) alone accounts for 43% of all live video streaming traffic by volume. Periscope, acquired by Twitter, allows you to go live and capture an audience anytime, anywhere. The big idea and the slick, highly produced Super Bowl Ad spot are becoming relics as consumers want to create and engage with brands with their own content, on their own terms, with their own audience watching.

2016 will be the year of the single largest shift to digital media from print, radio, and television. Instagram, Facebook Video, and ad tech will be just several drivers of the transfer of revenue that forces ill-equipped newspapers and magazines to shut down. Digital distribution eliminates print overhead, is more sustainable, and places the content square in the consumer's pocket or purse, waiting for them whenever and wherever they are.

The increasing number of consumers living Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability will force brands to evaluate not only how their products affect the health of their consumer, but the world around them. When Chipotle eliminated all the GMOs in the ingredients found in its 1,700 locations, it was because of the LOHAS consumer. When CVS stopped selling cigarettes and welcomed a $2 Billion dollar loss in revenue? LOHAS. In 2016, more major brands will take steps toward making their products and company more sustainable, and the largest consumer segment you've never heard of will reward them.