Webby Talks: “By Popular Demand”
How an era of optimized attention-seeking made the Internet more forgettable, and why the work that lasts gives us something to rememberIntroducing the 2026 – 2027 Season
An annual thought leadership series from The Webby Awards, Webby Talks explores the Internet’s most important trends shaping the future of digital.
Each year, The Webby Awards executive team presents Webby Talks to explore the biggest digital trends impacting the world and our work. Last year’s talk traveled across the world to companies including Audible, YouTube, Verizon, BBC Studios, R/GA, Museo Nacional del Prado, AKQA, FOX , Shopify, Build in Amsterdam, PBS. This season, we’re once again bringing Webby Talks directly to organizations and teams across our global community.
The Trend
This year’s Webby Talks trend is “By Popular Demand” — how an era of optimized attention-seeking made the internet more forgettable, and why the work that lasts gives us something to remember.
The Internet gave us something no medium had before: a real-time, public measure of what resonated. For the first time, audiences could tell us exactly what they wanted, and we could build for it. Views and likes were transformative, democratizing signals. But over time, the metrics stopped measuring the goal and became the goal itself. We became experts at optimizing for what audiences appeared to demand, and popularity became shorthand for good.
AI has brought us to an inflection point. It allows anyone to optimize toward what’s already popular, effortlessly and infinitely, and that’s exactly the trap. When everyone can chase what already worked, chasing it is what makes you forgettable. Standing out has never been harder.
Capturing attention gets you seen. Great work is what makes you last. “By Popular Demand” examines the year’s best Internet work to uncover why some work doesn’t just capture our attention, but stays with us. Because the better we became at capturing attention, the easier we became to forget. Meaning is what we remember.
Each year, the series includes entertaining and informative talks, community events and our annual trend report, based on three months of research by The Webby Awards team and a review of emerging trends across more than 13,000 submissions to the 30th Annual Webby Awards.
Webby Talks is an in-person and virtual series taking place from September 2026 through February 2027.
To schedule a talk for your team, please contact our Head of Strategic Accounts & Industry Relations, Kristine Moise, at kristine@webbyawards.com.
Webby Talks Speakers
Jesse Feister
Executive Director
Nick Borenstein
General Manager
Jordana Jarrett
Head of Brand Strategy
Emma Whitfield
Managing Director, Production & Experience
Talk Visits
FAQ
How do I RSVP to the Webby Talks Series?
Webby Talks will kick off in September 2026. All members of our community will be invited to join us during community events, or to book a private presentation with their organization. To make sure you are on our list sign up to our newsletter here.
How can I book or attend Webby Talk?
If your organization would like to host a Webby Talk this year, please reach out to our Head of Strategic Accounts & Industry Relations, Kristine Moise at kristine@webbyawards.com. We will be hosting Webby Talks events for the wider Webby community throughout the season and will invite all entrants closer to the time.
How much do the talks, events and trend reports cost?
All Webby Awards entrants receive all the benefits of being a part of the Webby Awards community, including the opportunity to host a Webby Talk for your company, ongoing communication regarding your entries, access to reports, and invitations to exclusive virtual events hosted by both The Webbys and our partners around the world.
If you are yet to enter The Webby Awards you can learn more about our categories, eligibility and guidelines here.
How can I sponsor Webby Awards events?
If you would like to chat with our team about potential sponsorships, please contact Alex McGrath, Vice President, Sales & Brand Partnerships via email at Alex@webbyawards.com.
