We social media marketers are always trying to stay ahead of the game, which means we’re constantly thinking about the future – what skills should we work to develop? What should we be trying to get on top of now? Why did Vine fail but TikTok reigns supreme – aren’t they essentially the same concept?

Try as we may, the beautiful paradox of social media is its ever-changing nature, where no two days or two years are the same, but the change is very much necessary to fuel ongoing creativity! Just as students were told in high-school only 10 years ago, ‘when you’re an adult, there will be technology you base your career around that has not yet been created’ (which we now know is 100% true), it’s fair to say that there will be apps that are used by everyone in 10 years that don’t currently exist here in 2020.

On this note, given the speed at which technology develops these days, we Two Palm-ers think we have a rough idea of what the social media landscape will look like in 10 years or so… 

Augmented and virtual reality will take centre stage

We’re actually already seeing the effects of this. How many of the stories on your Instagram are edited using augmented face filters? Our guess is close to 50%! Have you done any online shopping with The Iconic lately? You can now virtually try on your shoes before you buy!

This technology has rapidly evolved over the last 12 months, but it’s a space that very few are yet to monetise. In saying this, Facebook is currently working on a VR chat space called “Horizon,” which you’ll have to wear a virtual reality headset to participate in. So, we’re thinking that in 10 years, our online friendships might be a lot less face-to-face and a lot more like something out of ‘Black Mirror’!

Social Media will replace traditional forms of media

Individuals these days digest content at such a fast rate, and social media is arguably one of the most effective ways to keep up with the societal demand for constant up-to-date information.

Just as social media has earned itself a place on the pedestal next to traditional forms of advertising, we believe it’s becoming, and will become, one of the main ways to convey live news, information and stories to a large group of people. Perhaps it will eradicate the need for television broadcast and print news altogether. 

There’s also already a lot of evidence to show that people respond well to video storytelling on social media, for example, the short documentary-style videos produced by Great Big Story. We think that even documentaries, TV shows and film will one-day be adapted for shorter viewing times on socials.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 If you’re in Kolkata, the best way to have a cup of tea is in a clay cup, called “bhar.” They’re used just once and then thrown away—and they’re all biodegradable, made by hand out of clay dug up from the banks of the Ganges River. Just say chai and goodbye.⁠ ⁠ ___ ⁠ This Great Big Story was inspired by @GenesisWorldwide.⁠ ⁠
 
A post shared by  Great Big Story (@greatbigstory) on Mar 2, 2020 at 1:06pm PST
 

Fighting Dark social will be a marketer’s biggest challenge

If dark social isn’t a term you’ve heard before, then allow us to enlighten you! Dark social describes the “invisible” shares that happen through channels like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram direct message, as well as email and text messages. These methods of sharing mean that many of the data driven results we marketers spend time studying are actually just the tip of the iceberg.   

Dark social means fewer ‘trackable’ public interactions and more private communication over DM’s. Unfortunately, this is quite a new concept and currently there’s very little understanding of how to combat it! Our prediction is that businesses and companies will need to focus on building communities with valuable content that’s engaging and educational, and challenges one’s own perspective.