4 Emerging Social Media Trends
No sooner does everyone finally embrace the new "big thing", when an altogether new trend replaces it.
We live in a rapidly-changing age of information and mobile computing. No sooner does everyone finally come around to embracing the latest and greatest new "big thing", when an altogether new trend replaces it, forcing all of the cool kids (who of course wish to remain so) to adapt and embrace the hot newcomer.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the wild and wacky world of social media. MySpace? Please, that’s so early 21st century! Everyone’s using Facebook now. Wait, did you say you’re on Facebook? Oh, no one uses THAT anymore; you need an Instagram account. Or maybe Twitter. Or Pinterest. Or ... well, you get the idea.
And so, for those who are interested, here are four emerging social media trends to keep an eye on this year. But if your thirst for newness has not quite been slaked, check out
"Asian Social Media Trends That Could Be Heading Westwards".
Mobile First And Foremost When it comes to being online, an increasing number of people are choosing to use their mobile devices, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. That means that a lot of social media interaction is happening via things like smart phones, and as a result, clever marketers and website designers should make it their top priority to design campaigns and web pages that are mobile-friendly.
Images Rule Social media is going visual. Sites like Pinterest, Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat are getting increasingly popular. Forrester, an influential research and advisory firm, recently studied over three million user interactions with at least 2,500 brand posts on seven social networks and found that Instagram posted a whopping 4.21% engagement rate, blowing away Facebook at .07% and Twitter’s .03%.
Posts with images carry more impact, and consequently draw more attention, more likes, and more shares. Time to haul out that ancient cliché about how a picture is worth a thousand words, eh?
Increased Monetization Speaking of clichés, how about "Follow the money!"? Well, in this case, if you follow the money, you will end up at the door of social media again. Advertising tends to go where the people are, and the people are online in social media, so that’s where the ad dollars will go.
The thing that many people with money are starting to realize is that social media is a global phenomenon and social media companies are starting to rival actual broadcast networks.
And while we’re on the subject of money, there will be more mobile wallet and e-commerce features in social media in the near future. Don’t be surprised to see more financial transactions being performed over Facebook and Twitter, for instance.
Finally, if you’re a business who wants in on the whole monetization deal, check out
"Mastering The Four M’s Of Social Media".
Increased Concerns Over Privacy As the incidents of people getting into trouble over ill-considered posts, inappropriate comments, and irresponsible behavior on social media increase, there is a correspondingly growing core of people with a modicum of sense who are realizing that privacy is a good thing, and not everything belongs in your Facebook status.
Over the past year, we’ve seen articles about people who’ve actually been outright fired from their jobs or forced to resign due to their inability to keep their mouths shut online, or resist the temptation to post yet another dubious selfie. Granted, some people never learn, especially those who really can’t see the consequences of their actions (in other words, most criminals and similar types, who will still keep on sharing too much, most likely). Call it Darwinism in action, online style.
Networks like Facebook have recognized privacy concerns, and have rolled out more features that allow users to tailor their newsfeeds, who sees their stuff, etc. The networks that show more sensitivity over privacy are the ones that most people will ultimately flock to.
In any event, it will be interesting, coupled with a bit of car-crash curiosity, to see what the next year or two brings. Pop yourself some popcorn, sit back, and get ready to watch the show (or be part of it ... we won’t judge).
Find out more on the future of Content Marketing at our DLUK - Trends briefing on the 24th September 2015