Sexy and smart, Barbie is the 'perfect woman'; some might say a little too perfect. Can you ever remember seeing her facing any serious adversity? Well, in 2013, after a Facebook campaign, Barbie will find out her friend has cancer.

As information is both consumed and contributed, people and organisations are becoming connected in new ways. PatientsLikeMe is a social network where over 170,000 people share their experiences of illness, providing data for healthcare research.

While the immediate future is unlikely to yield AI pseudo-human carers, the notion of robots aiding the elderly is closer than ever. All over the world – especially in Japan, where more than a quarter of the population is over 65 – technology and healthcare are starting to overlap.

Secret is America's best-selling female deodorant. Keen to encourage a new generation of consumers to take up the product, parent company P&G tapped into a broad social concern that connects parents and children alike: bullying.