Social Media Trends Predicted For 2018

As technology continues to advance so does everything else associated with it, including social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn have to be at the forefront of new innovations that are likely to happen, or they will fall behind their competitors. There will probably be many changes to these platforms over the next year, but what are the expected trends for social media for 2018?

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‘Social Media Icons on Chalk Sticks’ - Jamie Spencer via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Videos Will Become Prolific

For any business using social media as a marketing tool, videos can have much more impact than images and written content. Now they can be produced so cheaply and easily, they are fast becoming the favourite form of media with marketing experts. YouTube has made it easier for people to make videos of their family events and achievements, and it is likely more of these will be posted to their social media accounts. The combination of the two means videos will become more prolific, replacing much of the static images and text that fill the pages now. The importance of social media for branding purposes should never be underestimated. History shows us that when some new innovation is ignored, other people will take up the mantle and reap the rewards and benefits.

Blockchain Will Make A Difference

Blockchain has already had an effect on the financial services and legal industries and now it is set to make a difference to social media platforms. Governments can do all they want in terms of net neutrality, making it harder to access digital online content, but they cannot do this with blockchain. This decentralised peer-to-peer technology is resilient to all efforts to make the internet less neutral and will cause more disruption than is perhaps realised.

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‘twitter-bird’ – elkekarin via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Shopping Through Social Media Will Increase

‘Buy now ’ buttons have been around for a while on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, but they tend to offer limited information about the product and can be awkward to use. In 2018 it's likely the next step forward will be taken in social media shopping, making it more user-friendly, as more retailers get involved. With the cost of advertising on social media being increased all the time, this could be a great way for businesses to keep their marketing costs down.

Messaging Apps Will Be A Huge Benefit

Messaging apps have been popular between friends and family for some time now. They are a way of having a private chat without any cost, and they are instant. Businesses just seem to be realising how much faster they can connect with their customers through apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat. Providing a quicker response helps turn views into conversions, and at the end of the day, that is what all online sellers are after.

More Innovations in 2018

These are not the only things that are likely to happen to social media in 2018. Virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence could all make a difference, as well as the tightening of security on platforms to ensure users data is safe.