It’s always exciting to start a fresh new year full of energy, ideas and opportunities.

In this guest MsBehaviour File, Helen Baxter has curated comments from The Big Idea community about the future, along with trends and future-focused content for you to read, watch and be inspired by.

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We’re firmly in the future in 2013, a date that looks positively sci-fi.

In the digital world the first event of each year is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas where technology manufacturers display their latest inventions. New devices drive content and distribution systems so it’s always an interesting indicator of where things are going in the near future.

We are hearing more about the Internet of Things, with sensors in household devices and smart kitchen appliances. You can now control oven temperature with a smartphone, and the Samsung fridge not only has internet access it also runs Evernote, for saving shopping lists or recipes using an integrated touch screen. 

In the living room it was all about 4K TV, with super-sharp resolution and jaw dropping colours and clarity. However as with 3D TV, the current lack of content being created means it will take time to reach many people. Sony have released a waterproof phone to avoid bathroom disasters, and there were demonstrations of phones with flexible displays that are virtually unbreakable. Sales of smartphones, tablets and ebook readers are still on the rise, so what does this mean for content creators?

There has never been a better time to be making, creating and publishing. With the rising number of channels and devices, there is an even greater need for content curators. Crowdsourcing is still growing in popularity for both crowdfunding and crowdsolving, where individuals and organisations worldwide are identifying and collaboratively finding solutions to problems that affect us all. 

We asked The Big Idea Community “What do you think are some of the opportunities and challenges for the next decade?” The common themes you communicated were digital, sustainability, global/international, opportunity, challenge, change, crowdfunding, transition, innovation, and collaboration. 

I have curated some of your responses as a Storify page, along with trends and future-focused content for you to read, watch and be inspired by. 

For more visions of our creative futures read the ‘Into the Future’ comments and add yours.

Helen Baxter is MD of Mohawk Media and author of upcoming e-book the Creative Business Toolkit, with online tools and tips for designers, writers, musicians, creators, makers, innovators, freelancers and creative entrepreneurs. Sign up for news at http://creativebusinesstoolkit.tumblr.com