Technology and social media seems to come a long way from what it was initially in the 90s. Internet chat rooms and MySpace pages have quickly developed into Facebook messenger and Twitter Profiles.
The last five years have seen rapid developments in the evolution of computers and handheld devices. With these continuous changes in social media portals, certain trends can be expected in the next year.
Here is an insight into the trends that can be expected within the next year when it comes to the advancement of social media.
1. The Big Red Button
Forums such as Facebook and Pinterest have recently begun incorporating purchases into the browsing experience with simple additions such as a “shop now” button or links to where a particular product, can be purchased.
Other media platforms such as Polyvore provide brands with a specialized channel through which products can be displayed and sold. Users now have unlimited options from where a certain “look” can be bought through accompanying links.
2. Social Marketing
Businesses continue to establish a presence for themselves on online social platforms, and establish brand recognition and loyalty through mass marketing.
Applications such as Canva and Brandr are already ahead of the game by conducting extensive research into the effects picture posts and brand-embellished photos to target the customer’s psyche and retention abilities.
3. Fame
“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”
This was a prediction made by the enigmatic Andy Warhol, and rightly so. Social media operates with the focused goals of exhibitionism and provision of real time updates. Your childhood friend with whom you have no current contact just had a baby? Chances are you’ll probably find out in the next 5 minutes through a text, a status update, or a share. The standards for fame have become blurred as the dividing lines between celebrities and internet personalities become fainter.
4. Strengthening ties
As smartphones and hand-held devices become more and more commonly used, especially among the youth, companies will be likely to take advantage of the choices these devices offer for the purpose of connection with customers.
Businesses, especially those that are already operating on social media, such as Facebook-based businesses, are now sprouting up on messenger apps, for instant access should users desire it.
Furthermore, celebrities, brands, and Internet personalities are progressively creating accounts on predominantly picture-based social media such as Instagram and Snapchat. This works to give customers and fans a visual look at the particular brand offered, as well as quickly connect with the app simultaneously.
As time progresses to see multiple more additions to the usage of internet facilities, it also sees considerable change in social media, as it increasingly becomes a platform on which to display and share information, updates, and even simple incidents such as a word spoken or an act performed. Interconnectivity, it appears, is the future of the current technological world in all its visual and contextual forms.
