Social media platforms seem fairly simple in concept and design. Social media platforms fuse message boards, video sharing, blogging, and instant messenger programs all into one giant package. Members of social media sites become capable of effectively communicating and interacting with one another thanks to all the available features on the site.
While social media surely will remain simple in design and the various platforms won’t depart from their current user-friendliness, social media sites do need to change with member wants. Technology advances and customer preferences evolve. Trends in social media emerge as a result. A look towards the horizon of 2018 reveals a host of trends soon to emerge.
The Short-Term Arrival of Ephemeral Content
Snapchat has played a huge part in the growth of ephemeral content, a type of content that seems to go totally against the grain of content traditional wisdom. Ephemeral content refers to content that only remains available for a short duration of, say, 24 hours. Such content frequently gets shared quickly since it won’t be there for very long. Consider such posts a form of “crash marketing” that speeds up the promotional process. The Generation Z crowd seems to react well to this type of content.
Putting the Emphasis on Generation Z
Ephemeral content isn’t the only social media trend that appeals to the Generation Z audience. Generation Z might be the one age group that social media platforms find the most influential. Likely, this is because Generation Z comprises a huge number of consumers who spend a lot of time on social media viewing social media advertisements.
In the coming years, Generation Z may become the first generation to become the most reliant on social media for communications and social interactions. Anything and everything that clicks with Generation Z is sure to be integrated into social media platforms. The platforms won’t be able to survive without Generation Z’s consistent membership and participation.
An Even Greater Emphasis on Live Streaming
Live streaming may eventually replace broadcasting. Economics plays a big part in this one. Live streaming is far less expensive than running a television broadcast. That makes live streaming attractive to anyone wishing to promote a business or just him/herself.
Access is another reason for the emerging popularity of live streaming. Anyone can take part in it. An advertiser looking to promote everything from home renovations to title loans simply needs to set up a webcam and click the appropriate buttons on a social media site. While a great deal of work is required in order to make sure the audience for the stream is sizable, the cost of doing so can be minimized. Even someone on a tight budget can run a live stream. A person doesn’t even need to be technically savvy to do so, either.
Here Comes the Chat Bot
The chatbot might be the most intriguing artificial intelligence innovation to arrive in recent years. They’re coming to social media, too. Automated response programs are nothing new. A generic email is sent as an acknowledgment of an email received. Few would believe such an email was uniquely and originally composed by the sender. The obviousness of a form letter is unmistakable. A chatbot is something totally different.
Chatbot software programs can conduct chat conversations in a smooth and realistic manner. Businesses seem to be embracing chat bots thanks to their value in customer service operations. Experimentations for social media use for chatbots remain ongoing.
Also ongoing are a variety of other social media innovations. The social media landscape of 2018 is sure to look interesting.