Thinking Digital 2019 - Part of the North East Digital Festival

Thinking Digital has always been known within the North East as one of the pinnacles of the events calendar for the year. It's a place to go to have your knowledge expanded, get your brain thinking and to hear personal stories from people who have experiences to share.

Thinking Digital 2019 did not disappoint on any of the above, it was a day that I learnt that smart fridges have the potential to influence our elections, that you can learn to code and play music at the same time and that VFX is now an integral tool within film producers and directors’ toolkits.

Stories from people that are using technology to change the way we currently work was also another theme, from Sabine Hauert using nano particles to simulate and develop swarms, which could have applications in the administration of drugs and medicines, to Simona Francese, who is using laser technology to identify molecules from fingerprints, which is already being used within forensics to develop a whole new method of criminal profiling - all based upon your sweat!

One of my favourite talks of the day had to be Chris Stokes-Walker talking about the power of YouTube, how it's grown and matured within just 14 years of existence faster than Hollywood. Most thought provoking was the implications that content uploaded onto YouTube has to influence opinions - especially scientific and political, particularly within the younger generation that are consuming YouTube content far more than any other content provider.

The above is just a snapshot of what proved to be again one of the best events in the North East and truly a highlight of the North East Digital Festival.

A special thanks to Invest North East England, one of the partners of Thinking Digital 2019 for the opportunity to attend.