Set an alarm.

Check the weather.

Send a text.

A few years ago, these were (most likely) regular daily tasks with a better-than-decent chance that you wrote them on a sticky note or put each as a reminder in your phone. While those list-making and task-completing practices are still prevalent in 2019, there’s another fast-emerging trend that we need to watch.

Let’s start this blog with a little history lesson.

*opens textbook*

Here's a familiar situation: You're eyeing something interesting online that you might want to buy, so you sign up for the email newsletter—something that might just offer a discount code or special access to a sale. After you click “submit,” the anticipation grows.