A 2020 Social Media Vision
January 08, 2020 (0 comments)
It has been a whopping year of social media change. As we head into the new decade, we ponder on where social media left us and to what it is that we’re signing ourselves into in the new year. Following current trends, these are the expected social media trends in 2020.
Social Media as a Marketing Campaign
These days, it’s hard to say the word “Youtube” without talking about a “Personality,” and near impossible to utter “Instagram,” without following it with “Influencer.” The word pairings have been synonymous for a few years now, all thanks to brands using these stars to market their products in lieu of traditional ad campaigns. While the amount celebrity instagram influencers like Kylie Jenner and Ariana Grande make per post will most likely rise (both are said to currently be at around $1 million a post), recent trends seem to be changing for the coming year. Moving forward, many companies are opting to work with multiple smaller influencers to take advantage of numerous followings that reach a broader scope, all who collectively match the price of a single big earning celebrity.
Social Media as a Payment Service
Speaking of instagram Influencers, it was the thunder strike to shock the world, Celine Dion joined the ranks this past December with a new rendition of her famous “ It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” video. But it wasn’t so much her participation that marked a new era, but rather Instagram’s video ad announcement that it’s a great place to shop for the holiday season. Instagram Shopping has been around with its own page and shoppable posts for a few months now, but the video was the first official advertisement for the launch, potentially implying that the platform won’t be slowing down as a storefront.
Similarly, late 2019 brought us the announcement of Facebook Pay, a money transferring service between friends like the already popular Venmo and Square Cash. The feature is still in the launching process, but will be available across all Facebook entities, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
Social Media as Customer Service
Famously, the point of social media is to create community and to bring people together. While companies have been taking advantage of this supposed closer connection between brand and consumer by having their personal feed available at any time, an
unexpected twist was birthed from the mass idea. While certain brands have had a “Call” option on their Instagram profile for a few years, the increasing use of the platform as a place to post good and bad experiences has changed the way users interact with their brands. More and more users are leaving comments on the brands pages directly, with many opting for direct messages with the assumption that it will garner a response. In 2020, we might begin to see brands adding a Customer Service branch specifically to cater to their Instagram following.
Social Media as a Responsibility Platform
Lastly, and perhaps one of the biggest social media trends in 2020, is that it will continue atoning for the negativity it is said to be complicit in. With multiple platforms releasing anti-bullying campaigns; Instagram launching the ‘Restrict’ feature to curb bullies and its decision to refrain visibility from posts that promote weight loss products for those under 18 being the latest, it seems the future of social media is concern about its impact on mental health.
