In today’s world, it’s hard for many people to imagine their lives without social media – it’s now so much more than the simple communications platforms that appeared in the early 2000s and encompasses a dazzling array of functions that see it firmly integrated into society’s technological frameworks.
If there’s one thing that’s certain about social media, it’s that it’s always changing – whether this is through brands looking to open up new avenues of income from their user base, modifying their interfaces for greater ease of use, or introducing new features designed to entice users to spend more of their screentime on the respective platform.
However, beyond the surface level changes that users see, there is much more to be learnt from observing the industry as a whole, and seeing which trends are taking off – as this will allow you to read in to where the industry is headed in the medium to long term.
Considering what social media looked like a decade ago and comparing it to the behemoth present in society today, there’s every chance that social media could look and function differently in the coming years.
Read on to find out more about how social media is changing in 2022.
TikTok is here to stay
The last few years has seen a new player enter the game – Tiktok has taken the social media world by storm, becoming immensely popular with teenagers and younger adults as a way to share engaging and funny short-form video content.
In this sense, it emerged as a Vine replacement at heart, looking to fill the role of a casual platform that gives content creators the platform to grow and reach new eyes, while delivering a laidback, scroll-worthy user experience.
Once a social media app has a large user base, it’s not long before brands look to monetize their content and reach new consumers through the platform. TikTok has made lots of improvements to business and brand functionality, including business ads, profiles and tools.
Social Commerce continues to grow
As touched upon regarding TikTok, the optimization of social media platforms for business continues to be a growing factor in their success, as this encourages brands like Lenovo and IKEA to invest in the platform, both in terms of employing paid advertising, and employing staff to spend time and resources on creating a social media strategy.
Social commerce is the phenomenon of buying products directly through a social media platform, using the platform’s e-commerce functionality to purchase products from your favorite brands and content creators. It has become increasingly popular due to ease of use for brands and consumers alike.
Audio content integration
With the world of visual content such as movies, tv, online shows and short videos so popular, it’s not until recently that platforms have started making use of audio as a content format. The popularity of podcasts has had a resurgence in recent years, alongside group calling and audio livestreaming.
While video content is sure to continue to dominate, the rise of audio as a rich and enjoyable form of content in its own right will see it further integrated into social media functionality.
