The face of social media is constantly in flux. Platforms are changing, user behaviors are evolving (and users are increasing in number), and it feels like every few days we’re discovering a brand-new social media trend. To help get ahead of the pack and make sense of the digital world in 2024, here are some of the biggest social media trends set to affect the way we connect with one another, how we consume content, and the ways in which people interact online.
The Rise of Gaming and Esports Communities: Level Up Your Engagement
There are many different things that have helped online gaming and esports grow into billion-dollar industries. The growth is reflected in viewing records and a passionate global audience. Through social media, dedicated communities are finding each other. Streaming platforms such as Twitch, Discord, and YouTube Gaming are home not only to esports competition but also to live streams and detailed coverage of results.
It’s not just the typical multiplayer shooter games that are finding communities online, one growing genre is online casino games. Far from the typical formats that you’d expect in a real-life casino, there are fun new ways to enjoy traditional poker, blackjack, slots, or roulette – and tune into big tournaments. A community of players who play slots online may also blog about it, share videos, and show the gameplay videos from an ever-increasing number of slot games; players can tap into a global community of other players, chat about their performance, and even enter themselves into casino game tournaments.
This is happening on platforms beyond those built specifically for gaming. Even more traditionally, firms that fit within the classic ‘social media’ sector of the software industry – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – are getting into the esports game in a major way. Here are the approaches these firms are taking:
Livestreaming Integration
Social platforms are now offering more and more live-streaming features that gamers and esports organizations can use to engage with fans in real time, eventually building a community.
Esports tournaments and events
Online platforms such as Instagram and Twitter are partnering with esports organizations to host online tournaments and live events; this creates more user engagement allowing sponsors to reach a direct and highly engaged audience.
Influencer Marketing
The emergence of YouTube personalities followed by millions of fans used games as a platform to build their brands. Now, there’s a lucrative market for brands to work with influencers to reach esports audiences through product placements, sponsored streams, and social media reach.
For brands wanting to reach that truncated target community with young people, high engagement, and sheer scale, in-game and esports communities are a perfect fit – especially the affiliate potential of digital media and social platforms to build connections, content, and credible brand bonding.
The Age of AI: From Content Creation to Customer Service
The pictures and words that fill your Facebook feed or Instagram page are part of a wider world in which artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer merely a future scenario, but an emerging technology with power and potential. Here are some of the ways AI is shaping your news feed.
- Content Creation: AI is helping those who make content with everything from video thumbnails and captions to suggestions for trending topics and demographics.
- Personalized Feeds: AI algorithms that power social media feeds are getting better at providing content that is more accurately aligned with what users would like to see. As a result, feeds become more tailored – users start to see content they are more likely to engage with, resulting in more gratified users on average.
- Community management and moderation: chatbot movies reply to questions that are asked most often, which makes it easier to interact with users and moderate content.
While there are countless advantages to AI, it shouldn’t be used as a way to pretend that social media can be left solely to robots. When it comes to managing the platform, humans will be required to instantly respond to complex questions, deal with scenarios, and, most importantly, come up with the right tone of voice for a brand.
The Power of Authenticity: Real Connections in a Digital World
As the world gets filled with more carefully curated feeds and idealized personas, the push toward authenticity is growing. Users want to connect with real people. They want to see relatable content. Here’s how that trend is affecting the social space:
- User-Generated Content (UGC): Platforms are increasingly promoting UGC (challenges, polls, and QA sessions) to initiate conversation, crowdsource information, and encourage user participation.
- Promote Micro-Influencers: If mega-influencer marketing hasn’t panned out the way you’d hoped, it’s time to embrace micro-influencer marketing, working with the everyday person who has a small but loyal following. Products endorsed by micro-influencers often elicit a higher engagement rate, as well as stronger consumer trust and credibility.
Ultimately, by putting sincerity and genuine connections at the center of understanding meaningful engagement, brands stand to gain more than just passing attention; instead, they will foster long-term relationships with patrons who will become advocates for their brand across social media.
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