As indispensable as mobile has become as a shopping, digital data tool, it is still mostly about killing time and inserting some fun into moments throughout the day. Advertisers can't target these users and environments with the same old intrusive tactics.

Consumers naturally show more concern about identity theft than online privacy, But more to the point, users see themselves now more actively engaged in the management of their privacy and security.

I pulled some data-related prophecies to share with you, but here's my prediction first: Marketers will begin to use data to better understand the customer lifecycle.

After a year of revelations about the snoop state, cross-platform tracking and in-store surveillance, it's no wonder that various cloaking devices have become a gifting trend this season. Invisibility is the new black.

Big data just means there's a lot of it -- but it should be about connected data, meaningful data. It's about parsing the meaningful nuggets of information to drive the business forward, per Joy Billings, director of analytics and optimization at Experian Consumer Direct. That business could drive directly into the hands of data as a service companies. Not third-party data providers. Something else.

Personalizing your conversation with users through messaging may be more effective than personalizing the site or the app. Apps are leading the way, but eventually the entire cross-platform digital environment could benefit from a standard message opt-in model.

Forrester Research's report, "Why Every Online Retailer Needs To Think Green," found green retail initiatives attract and retain high-value customers. Some 60% of the retailers the research firm reviewed offered a corporate social responsibility report or some similar online resource to show their commitment, but the quality of those efforts vary dramatically.

Social media popularity invites our attention and derision all at once. We are uneasy with this shift in authority that both social media and data-driven everything invites. But real insight may occur at the tension between the old and new ways of doing things.

More than 25% of contact centers suffer from data overload -- and an even higher percentage of service reps who have access to customer information don't use it to the fullest to support calls, according to a study released by the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) and WhitePages PRO, "A Wow Customer Journey: Actionable Data in Today's Multichannel Contact Center."

Mobile data represents a next level of behavioral detail for profiling users. As the market matures, mobile DMPs will help marketers personalize both their mobile advertising as well as their in-app experiences.