Pour a steaming mug of hot cocoa and drop in a handful of marshmallows, kids! It's that special time of year when Justice takes a look at the many facets of branding, marketing, social media, cultural trends and related offshoots, and tries to sound smart by prognosticating on what we can look forward to in 2013.

I've reported to you my recent education of the modern electronic recording artist. This old dog can indeed pull his head from his ass if given the time and inclination to do so. Therefore, I found myself exploring new artists and came across a recommendation of Amon Tobin. Needless, to say I was stunned when I saw the brilliance not only in his music but the amalgam of talent they've assembled to rethink the physical stage for the artist.

I know, I know, I know – I'm making your brain hurt. But not only is there a lot of stuff coming online in 2012, I also anticipate a big push into a lot of new technologies and behaviors. So without further ado, here's my final list of what to look for in the new year:

Hi. My name is Justice, and I'm FOMO. This means I have a "fear of missing out." This affliction causes me to be “cool hunting” at all times as I try to stay on top of what's breaking in creativity. Think of it like petting the cat in “Dune” to get the serum that will maintain my life. Stupid. Dear Lord, did I really just type that?

Cloud computing services: This should come as no real revelation. Cloud computing and everything cloud-related will explode from here on out. I'm also going to make the assumption that my readership already knows about cloud computing. If not, go here and get your learning on.

Obviously you should pay attention to the number of followers. But more importantly, you're looking for their "true reach." True reach is a metric for those who engage in two-way communication about a trend or an industry. Get a feel for the writer’s “voice.” See if you share the same mindset.

I was hit with sound clarity in a discussion over the weekend that came to a crystal-clear resolution for me is that the United States of America is going to be in an never-ending conflict with factors beyond our control due to the advancement of social media, it's citizen journalism and the emotional weaknesses of its people. If you have a cell phone you have the power to enact great emotional upheaval. And dependent upon your view of chaos math, that content could even go as far as starting a war. And this does not come on a soapbox claiming innocence of this stance, I will outline thoroughly that I'm as/if not more guilty than you all.

So no surprise in the social world. The hottest invite to a beta launch this week is Google+. Google has finally stepped into the ring with Facebook to take on the social giant. Is it ready for prime time? Well that remains to be seen on a great many levels, but I'll say it's worth trying for sure. Google's tools are always very good, solid if you will. But the past has shown us a line of projects that never got the attention they deserved such as Google Wave and others. There's a great deal of discussion of whether or not much of that (Google Wave) technology might be repurposed in Google+ — yet another item that remains to be seen.

Yesterday I had a great discussion with a client about social, often known as 'digital' influence. Social influence is a huge buzz term within our industry right now, as it seems to be skyrocketing as importance to marketers that are seeking people to purchase and more importantly talk about their affinity with said product to their network of friends, fans and followers. These people are seen as pure platinum.