Social Media

“What will social media be like in the future?”

 

Just a couple of Years ago, if one had mentioned the word social media people will ask, what is it?  However, today it has become part of our daily lives whereby by we cannot get enough of it.  Many people get on social media to connect to people, communicate, gather information, find lost friends over the years, get news and advertise their products. People use media such as twitter, Facebook, Instagram, snapchats or Pinterest among others for these purposes.

The question is what social media will be like in the future. My outright answer is that it is evolving therefore it will eventually change from what we know of it today.  It will be more advance than it is now.

According to 60 second marketer, “currently there are 1.96 billion social media users in the world and the number are expected to grow to 2.5 billion by 2018”.

With continues innovation, come new developments and challenges.  60 second Marketer suggests that “there will be wearable technologies which we have started emerging at the market already”.  For example, with Apple watches, bracelet bands, fitness bands etc.

In addition, it can be use at the workplaces and business to improve operations through apps.  For example, through Slack. It is a powerful tool which allows worker and businesses to collaborate  and share  information  through  text, gifs, images  and anything else  instantly  without the use of internal emails( Bennett , ).

Using Facebook for work, just like we use it to connect to friends and families, it will be used to connect to businesses   and professionals for collaborations purposes.

The focus is also on how social media platforms can be used effectively, since it has a greater appeal on Instagram, Facebook and tweeter   other than connecting people.

Benett suggest that , Live streaming videos  on social media   with Meerkat and Periscope and Facebook live  since anyone can now a days  start a streaming online whenever  they want to.

Using dedicated analytics Platforms to create feeds, schedule tweets and other things. The use of tweeter dashboard is integrating itself into the standard function of today’s social media (Bennett).

Using mobile to respond to work, will be the norm for much business since most is already carrying their devices along with them.

The way we report the news will change, there will be many eyewitness using their devices to report news and sharing as it occurs.

There will also be a huge collection of data since social media keeps evolving. In the future the younger generation will view what we know now as social media as an old thing. There will have modified versions of social media and might change its name.

Oculus virtual reality glasses will be available to all and it will change the way we do and view things around us. It will change how people spend their time and do things because they don’t have to actually do it but can enjoy the experience at the comfort of their home or wherever they may be.

Many people suggest  that there will be a whole new  innovations  available for people convince  therefore  different products  will be develop. According to News .com  there will be new gadgets like  helmets with built in navigation  systems , wearables for pets and smart buttons  that could be pressed  to even change colors of your clothes( News.com).

Though we are not aware of exactly what will happen  in the future  of social  Media we can only  assumed , predict or  anticipate what  will happen based on social media history or trends  because it continues to evolve  as time goes on.  A lot of people do not feel so comfortable with social media and it usage. However, at the rate at which things are changing they will have to adapt and learn how it works and how they can use it to improve themselves and their businesses.  Just a couple of years ago things were very different no one knew about social media and what it has become or yet to be.

Social media have provided a platform for people to be able to express themselves.  Instead, of reading and commenting on other things, many have become authors themselves. Whereby they could write blogs, posts something on face book or share a picture on Instagram and have others comment or give their opinion of it.   Social Media is not just use for networking anymore, it has become more than that. Many companies are using it to market their products and build their brands therefore their expectations are changing.  Business needs to have some kind of strategy   and sense of direction in order to use social media successfully to promote their brand.  Also, everyone who has smart phone is now a photographer they can report what they see.

As we progress to the future we realized that social media does not only help us to socialize with friends and families and communicate with them   because it is more than that. It helps us to share our day to day lives with them since we have been dispersed all over the world. It helps us to share relevant content (knight).

Many people who use social media have become loyal to the networks that they feel comfortable with for example, some uses, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, google, Tumblr, twitter, and others.  Though they all have different function the main is to connect to others. In the future all might change because all these mentioned names might sound strange to the next generation. They will find it odd to comprehend the name and what it means because they might have newer names to replace them. Vice versa, the old generation will also struggle to understand what the new terms are and how they operate since it might be too advanced for them to comprehend.

I remember growing up being around the kids playing outside with friends and families  was how we socialize  because there were no gadgets other than friends and families and those were the things that we valued and were important to us.  However, in this new era though friends and families are still important in our lives,    things  have change and still continues to change. Social media, local and mobile are important when it comes to it.

I realized that since we use our smart phones to communicate while on the job , on the go or at work  these are mobile devices we carry around. Therefore in future social networks   will be much smaller and portable , like I mentioned before it will be wareable.

The use of visual content such as infographic and memes is also set  to increase in future. It actually gives companies the exposure to the market ( Redsicker) . Most companies use Facebook ads and only few uses LinkedIn and twitter.

Blogging  is on the  rise especially for social media  marketers. They use it to market their products and  let customers know about their products and what it does. They also use social media tactics   to engage the customers. Once a company has the interest of its customers then it can explore new  social media  relationships with different network. Many brick and mortar stores are now exploring the web with their online stores, where  they ask their customers to sign up  online in order  for them to have access and some privileges  in the form of promotional items.  They try to be more sufficient, effective and efficient. So that they will retain their loyal customers and possibly attract potential customers.  They try to set  up goals , policies  and rules  and always ask the customers for their feedback  so that they will be able to serve them better.

To be competitive in today’s market most companies are trying to keep up with the latest trends , especially with social  media , therefore they always have a social network page which they ask their customers to sign up  for or follow them.  For example, they will ask a customer to subscribe to their site , on Facebook or  follow them on twitter , Tumblr, LinkedIn  among many more. Though it is a bit challenging for some of the adults to keep up with the young ones and latest trends they are trying. Some love it and some do not. For others their job requires them to know, therefore they really do not have any  choice but to learn.

The future of social media pose itself as an opportunity for people to learn what is to come, since no one knows for sure which direction it is going to take them.  Just like few years ago we did not know that we will be tweeting or be on something called Facebook, or LinkedIn or blogging.

New things have emerged due to technological innovation and still continuous to progress as the years passes by.

In brief,   we are not really sure of what will happen in the future because we do not know. However, with the trend that has been happening through social media of late we can predict that things will change for the best and there will be more to come. There will be many new developments and new gadgets. We will have to adapt and learn.

Mary .

 

 

Reference:

Christopher Bennett. 10 predictions for the future of social Media.  60 second marketer.  Retrieve from  60 second marketer.com

News.com.au

Starr knight. (2013). Social Media Today. Retrieved from socialmediatoday.com

Patricia Redsicker ( 2014).  7 social  Media Trends for Marketer. Retrieved  From Social media  examiner.com