In this modern world where almost everyone is an active user of social media, rates of people using social media seems to be even rising at a rate of 9 percent every year, and social media spend growing 55 percent to 10.9 billion dollars, compared to last year's 7 billion dollars. Even the advertising spend is growing at an incredible rate.
As the year 2016's closing and another year will begin, there are many things in social media that will make 2017 more unique than 2016. Here are some unique social media trends that will be considered as the highlights of the year 2017, as listed by Forbes.
First off, there's the Live Video. Though Facebook, Youtube and other social media applications are already using it this year, the live video is still at its early stage. According to Digital Trends, Instagram has recently started its own Live Video feature, which is said to be a bit more unique than the rest. CEO and cofounder of STN Digital, David Brickley said "You better have a FB Live strategy or you'll be left behind. If you already have a great following on Instagram, and you don't have an Instagram Stories strategy, its time to pounce while its hot."
There's also the Messaging Apps. According to VML North American Director, Social and Emerging Media, Chad Martin "The idea of being able to engage with a customer in a one on one way is huge. The hurdle will be figuring out how to develop relevant content to so many. Developing bots that provide relevant content and learn from the customer's behavior is expensive at this point but the cost savings, especially around customer service, validate them quickly."
Virtual Reality is also going to be a big thing next year. It already started in video games such as the Sony PlayStation. People might see more on social media in the near future. Also for the coming year, Social Channels Will Continue To Evolve. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and other social media will continue to advance or else they will get left behind.
