Social Media has come a long way over the years. The first known social media platform was a website called Six Degrees which was founded in 1997. Since then, there have been hundreds of social media platforms. The number of people on Social Media shows that these platforms have become a part of our everyday lives. In truth, it can be argued that Social Media is the heart of the internet. The total number of internet users in the world as at 2017 amounted to 3.58 billion. In the same year, there were 2.46 billion Social Media users, representing about 68% of all internet users. If there is anything these numbers are telling us, it is that if you are searching for people on the internet, the best place to find them is via Social Media. This is why social media trends are very important. If one wants to capitalize on the potential of social media, one needs to be aware of the trends. We will proceed to reveal the top four social media trends to watch out for in 2018.
What are the 4 social media trends to watch out for in 2018?
- Live Streaming: Video streaming has been on the rise in recent years and it currently accounts for 66% of all internet traffic. This is bound to increase in 2018, and it is the perfect time to capitalize on this trend and strategize yourself for the coming years.
- Instagram Stories: Instagram stories exploded in 2017. Facebook revealed in October 2017, that Instagram stories had 300 million daily active users. As a result of this, many businesses jumped on the train. If you are not one of those on the Instagram stories train, 2018 is the best time for you to jump on.
- Augmented Reality (AR): There is a lot of talk going on about augmented reality. This technology has several applications, and social media is one of them. Businesses can perform AR adverts which will give the users a real-world experience of the product. This will lead to more accurate purchases and reduce return costs for businesses. The quick adoption of this technology makes one to look forward to in 2018.
- Chatbots: Artificial Intelligence is another technology that is on the rise, and one of its notable applications is in chatbots. Many brands have been adopting these chatbots, and, according to Hubspot, 48% of consumers would rather communicate with brands via chatbots. The best thing about these chatbots is that they can be integrated into several social media platforms.
There is no doubt that Social Media is important to users, businesses and everyone in between. The number of people on social media platforms is projected to increase to 2.62 billion in 2018. This means that there is a lot of value stored in these platforms. Keeping the trends explained here in mind will help you understand the needs of users, giving you a head start in 2018.
