Anticipating the future of social media
THE future seems like an appropriate theme this week. You see, this is my penultimate So Social. After almost 11 years at the Tribune and about four writing the column, I’m off to a new adventure in New York.
No one knows what the future holds. Doc Brown told Marty that people shouldn’t know too much about their destiny. True and true.
But as social media continues to mature, making an informed guess about what to expect won’t hurt anyone – and in fact, it can help you create a strategy, whether you are just trying to gain a few more followers or if your job depends on it.
You can’t escape live video:
It isn’t new, but live video is the hottest thing in social media today. Your friends are doing it to share important events and, unfortunately, sometimes some pretty mundane things. Your favourite ( and not- so- favourite) brands are doing it to find new ways to creatively showcase their products. It’s most prevalent on Facebook, but Twitter is pushing video through both its feed and Periscope. My advice is not to shun it, but don’t force it either. If you have an opportunity to share a story using live video, give it a shot. The two big platforms now are Facebook Live and Twitter’s Periscope. Choose the one that feels right to you.
Don’t try to escape Snapchat:
Ask someone to name the big three social networks now, and they might respond Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I think we’re really close to Snapchat replacing Twitter. An app that started mostly as a way for kids to trade silly selfies dressed up with text and emoji has turned into a much more mature communications platform where large companies are investing a lot of time and money. And besides all the practical stuff, it’s really fun.
People are looking way beyond Twitter, Facebook and Instagram when sharing content. You may have already seen sharing buttons for Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Slack. It’s funny because we just got through talking about how live video isn’t new and now we’re
Messaging apps:
talking about something that seems so much like the old days of instant messaging. Things are looking good for those of you still hanging on to those cassettes and eight- track tapes.
You’re going to see the letters VR a lot over the next few years. And while I don’t think we’re all going to go out and buy a virtual reality headset right away, eventually the price will come down enough that it will become mainstream. I think it’s definitely the future of videogames, but there’s also a future for it in social media. Think about it: You follow an airline now on Twitter. What if, a few years from now, you could follow an airline using a virtual reality app that could whisk you away to a destination from the comfort of your computer. It sounds far- fetched, but I believe it’s a matter of when, not if.
Next week, in the final So Social, we’ll flip things from future to past. I’ll share with you the most important things I’ve learned while writing this column. – Tribune News Service
Virtual reality: