Corporate leaders are desperate to know the future of social media in five years time. They need to know in order to benefit from the power of social media when it comes to enhancing communication capabilities, and the ability to accumulate data through user-generated information.
This concept includes the following: 1) social networking; 2) social bookmarking; 3) blogs; 4) discussion forums; 5) wikis; 6) photo-sharing; and 7) video-sharing sites (Meiselwitz, 2014). Early adopters of social media made a great deal of profit when they leveraged the power of social media platforms. However, those who came late to the party learned their lessons the hard way. The following is a discussion of a possible pathway to innovation when it comes to social media platforms.
A Major Tool for Political Change
In 2014 demonstrators in various parts of the world went out to the streets and expressed their frustrations. They protested the corruption that was prevalent in the their respective political and economic systems. Demonstrators from Egypt to New Delhi came together even in the absence of a formal organization. A traditional organization is usually required for a movement of that magnitude.
However, there was no political organizer, and there was no financier with deep pockets who was able to inspire them to leave the comfort of their homes. The same thing can be said of the demonstrations that were made in other regions, such as those that grabbed headlines from Madrid to Manhattan. There were different issues raised. Nevertheless, there was a common denominator for the different movements around the world. The spontaneous gathering of young people to express their frustrations against the status quo was made possible through the power of social media.
Protesters in Cairo were able to forced Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s strongman for several decades, to step down (O’Connor, 2012). The main weapon used did not contain any type of military ordinance. The protesters utilized the power of social media to embolden and unite ordinary Egyptians. In the past, this type of political upheaval was facilitated by newspapers and radio broadcasts. However, in the case of Egypt, information regarding the rationale of the mass gatherings were facilitated through the use social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
Businessmen all over the world continue to rely on conventional modes of delivering advertising content. It is still common to find companies spending advertising money on news programs. However, the perceived power of social media to bypass conventional modes of communication in order to reach millions of people will definitely change the marketing landscape of the future (Manrai, 2014). In the next five years, news companies are going to invest more money in integrating social medial platforms within its current digital technology frameworks.
From Virtual Communities to Real-Life Communities
In the present time, social media is a popular tool when it comes to the creation of online community. However, the future will reveal the extended application of social media platforms. As a result, people are not only using Facebook and Twitter in order to meet in a virtual environment. The said social media platforms will be utilized to meet people face-to-face in order to develop tangible projects. Five years from now, Facebook and Twitter will become a major component of public service (Downey, 2012). Community leaders are going to use social media not only as a means to communicate, but also to monitor existing projects.
Technological advancements will play a key role. Nevertheless, people are going to meet in person because of social media applications that will encourage greater collaboration. For example, clinical advocacy is the byproduct of the collaborative efforts of different stakeholders within the community.
One of its main purpose is to enhance the health care delivery system of medical institutions. People are going to congregate in a real-world setting in order to discuss the challenges that affect their respective communities. They will work together to find solutions to common problems. They will be encouraged to do so because social media tools enable them to track their progress and their individual contributions.
Greater Accessibility
Consider the popular forms of social media: 1) social networking; 2) blogs; 3) discussion forums; 4) photo-sharing; and 4) video-sharing sites. It can be argued that older people are having a hard time using the aforementioned social media platforms. One possible explanation is the inadvertent limitations posed by technology. Thus, the elderly are having a hard time using social media.
They experienced difficulty when it comes to understanding the necessary steps needed in order to communicate, upload pictures, and upload videos. The elderly spent their teenage lives without access to computers. Therefore, it was a steep learning curve for them when it comes to acquiring the necessary skills needed to enjoy the benefits of social media. In the next five years there will be greater accessibility because of advancements in technology. A major innovation is the ability to resize pages with ease.
Once again, technological advancements will play a key role. However, multinational companies will find greater incentive in the infusion of investments into social media tools. Corporate leaders will realize that an aging population requires special consideration when it comes to accessing websites and portable devices.
Greater Integration to Marketing Strategy and Interaction with Customer
Multinational companies created websites that have social media features embedded into them. For example, there are websites that have links to blogs. However, not all companies are invested in social media tools. In the next five years, more companies are going to invest in marketing strategies that incorporates the power of social media. In the near future, corporate leaders will have a greater understanding with regards to practical applications of data generated by social media. They will know how to use the data to drive sales and increase customer engagement (Meiselwitz, 2014).
Greater interactions will lead to the development of better products. Corporate leaders will invest in strategies that will allow their respective companies to orchestrate a collective creative effort (Dennhardt, 2014). Companies will allot resources in the development of social media tools that will allow customers to provide instant feedback when it comes to the design aspect of a particular product.
Conclusion
In five years time, the social media landscape will look different because of significant changes made regarding greater accessibility and enhanced participation of consumers. Technological advancements is one of the main reasons for the changes. Nevertheless, corporate leaders are compelled to invest in new technologies as the impact of social media tools becomes clear to them.
As a result, social media platforms will play a major role in community development. Users of Facebook and Twitter will go beyond the creation of online communities. Many of them will meet each other face-to-face in order to create tangible projects to enhance the delivery of certain services. There is greater incentive to collaborate because of the feedback mechanism inherent in social media platforms.
References
Dennhardt, S. (2014). User-generated content and its impact on branding. New York: Springer.
Downey, E. (2012). Public service, governance and web 2.0 technologies. PA: IGI Global.
Manrai, L. (2014). The Routledge companion to the future of marketing. New York: Routledge.
Meiselwitz, G. (2014). Social computing and social media. New York: Springer.
O’Connor, R. (2012). Friends, followers and the future. CA: City Lights Books.