Cars that drive themselves, the roadmap of the human genome and devices so small even a tweet is too long. That’s what Hotwire PR has predicted for the world of digital in 2015. The goals are lofty ones, as the speakers at yesterday's Social Media Week event themselves admitted, but they might not be as far off as one may think.

The Hotwire Digital Trends Report maps the digital technology and communications space each year, alighting on predictions for the future. This year’s report highlighted the maturity of digital content and an industry less reliant on revolutionary strategy changes in digital.

For brands, content creation is old hat, but technological change will continue to force companies to adapt their content to changing screens and platforms, forcing through a reevaluation of communications strategy with it, says Hotwire. The context, says programme director at Hotwire David Clare, can inform the content.

Beyond that, data will continue to hold relevance. At the moment, deputy MD Matt Cross points out, data can help inform communications strategy, but a brand must still be able to understand its audience and use or employ an effective data analyst. In future, data will inform new practice in the development of both digital tools and social platforms. In health, particularly, data can help doctors treat patients on a more individualised basis. While a lot of the technology is already available, the challenge remains on the political end as data laws differ vastly from country to country in regards to health.

Communicators often say something akin to ‘digital is not a tool, it’s a channel’ while addressing the ways in which they’ve changed their strategy to adapt to digital. In regards to digital’s impact on public relations, it’s evident that digital isn’t something to be addressed as a problem to be solved or a challenge to be overcome anymore. In 2015, according to the Digital Trends Report, digital communications will have matured and communications will have matured with them.