Social media is a constantly changing landscape and this is its 2018 look

2017 has seen its fair share of technological developments. Just think of bitcoin, the mastery of self-driving cars and humanoid robots that are too realistic for comfort. Naturally, social media hasn’t been without its own changes.

The social media landscape has seen a lot of changes this year. People with all sorts of intentions have started using the different platforms for various reasons, including the promotion of brands, entertainment and raising public awareness on one issue or another. As such, social media is always rapidly evolving.

What we all thought was once out of the ordinary has become common practice. What we once considered standard are now outdated. And this is exactly why it’s important to stay up-to-date on current trends. Fortunately, it’s not that hard—here are the five social media trends that are likely to dominate 2018.

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1. Live streaming will become the norm

Remember when the mobile phone was just a simple device that was used for calling and texting? Sure, the basics are still the same, but almost every mobile phone now comes equipped with a camera that gives its users a chance to be a content creator.

While apps like Facebook Messenger and Viber already offer video calling, expect many more platforms to introduce features that make it easier to create and share live streams to a bigger audience—both as a form of individual communication and business marketing.

2. More brands will shift to influencer marketing

Celebrities are great at what they do and there is no point denying the influential power they have on the public. But while this is so, many people don’t really believe in paid advertisements anymore. There’s a lack of sincerity that most feel towards traditional ads and is one of the main reasons why social media influencers have become powerful in their own right.

Social media influencers are quickly becoming the go-to of brans when they need to promote a new product or event. So expect to see more of the likes of Alodia Gosiengfiao and Wil Dasovich this year.

3. Facebook and other apps enhance the mobile experience

In a time when 3 out of 4 people access social media through their mobile phones, smooth user experience is a definite must. That’s why Facebook, which wasn’t designed for smartphones in the beginning, is not putting in a lot of emphasis on the mobile experience.

As handheld devices become more and more versatile, they are more and more used. As such, it’s only understandable that social media providers take advantage of this trend and turn their full attention to making the mobile experience absolutely extraordinary.

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4. Chatbots as an effective platform for marketing and customer service

EverWing and other Messenger games may have become mainstream, but the real Facebook feature that experienced a lot of growth this year is the chatbot. Other messenging platforms such as Kik and WhatsApp have also taken the chatbot route, as it allows users to do all sorts of things, from making pizza delivery orders to sending money overseas.

So as the popularity of messaging platforms continue to rise, expect to see more creative, wacky and intelligent chatbots this year.

5. Rise of augmented reality (AR)

While some may think of augmented reality as virtual reality’s less popular and less flashy second cousin, the reality is that AR is applied to so much more than VR right now.

Case in point: AR is one of the major marketing strategies that Disney and Netflix used in promoting the latest installments of the Star Wars and Stranger Things franchises. More importantly, how can we ever forget the experience that is Pokemon Go?

There is, without a doubt, only more coming our way.

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