Are Sting’s literate and self-consciously meaningful (he was never afraid to emphasize this fact in the press) lyrics of the 90’s becoming “bard like” in the age of social media?

Let’s look at his poetic prose.

“Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world”

Are Sting’s lyrics possibly signaling an eventual slow demise of the publishing and media network oligarchs, in favour of mobile social media and communication?

“You could say I lost my faith in the people on TV”

Being able to read and view what you want, when you want as opposed to having it rammed down your throat is an advantage, right? And the added bonus of being able to comment on media, without resorting to hurling abuse at or assaulting the TV is a good thing, surely.

Being able to research a product that you want, buy it and download when you want, while simultaneously consuming media like streaming radio or mobile video – that is important, and that’s where we’re at.

Mobile access to authentic reviews, price sensitivity, qualified recommendations and immediate product access or same day delivery will become the purchase points for you and me, because time has become increasingly precious.

“You could say I’d lost my belief in our politicians”

Whether we like it or not we are influenced by the force of the media around us. As a generation, we listen to the media about what we ought to aspire to wear, through TV channels like E! Entertainment, Big Brother, and popular films. They’re all basic evangelists of lifestyle and network propaganda.

“They all seemed like game show hosts to me”

Will this change? Possibly not. But will we be able to choose? Hopefully yes.

And are Sting’s words the demise of a media production and consumption system in which we’re force fed information? And do his lyrics herald the real beginning of social media, and thus our ability to choose and get what we want, when we want it?

Whether we concur that Sting is an oracle, a literate and self-consciously meaningful musical commentator, or not, the stark fact is that the consumer – that’s you and I – is still king, and has an increasingly mobile voice.

Retailers, service providers, and media producers ignore this at their peril.

“If I ever lose my faith in you, there’d be nothing left for me to do”

*Sting aka Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner founder member of the band Police and soloist wrote this song “If I ever lose my faith in you” featured on the album Ten Summoner’s Tales and was released in 1993.

Phillip Barber is the MD of ThoughtFaqtory. With 20 years of IT experience, he has extensive sales, marketing, management, technical skills and a deep passion for the mobile market. Phillip has worked in various industries during his career, including POS software development, education and training, logistics, equipment manufacture and hire companies.