Every year Mary Meeker makes us pause and contemplate the future of digital media with her annual Internet Trends report. This year was no different. In fact, a few findings, in particular, shed an interesting light on the future of social media and how the younger generations might change the course of digital communication.
In her report, Meeker identifies gaming platforms like Fortnite, Twitch and Discord as doubling their user base and time spent, as well as a marked increase in communication on the platforms. Fortnite has certainly taken notice of this behavior. Just the other day, the company announced that it bought video-chat app Houseparty. Meanwhile, Twitch announced that it bought social networking platform Bebo to bolster their business and social efforts.
It’s fascinating to think that in just a decade of dominance of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, a whole new way of interacting is emerging on esports platforms. How will this communication evolve as these generations grow older? Will these platforms spawn into standalone social networks? Will similar interactions start happening in other digital communities?
Another stat that points to how social media and digital communication are changing is around the increased use of images and videos. According to Meeker’s report, over 50% of tweets now include images. I guess 5G couldn’t come at a better time.
The growing importance of images is something we at Kite Hill know well. We are working with Photoshelter, a leading digital asset management platform for visual storytellers. The company’s client base spans many major sports teams, food brands and tourist destinations, among so many others. It’s clear that marketers understand the growing importance of images and are investing in more sophisticated platforms to manage their assets.
The impact of the internet shifting to images and new social platforms is overwhelming to consider. For PR specifically, images, videos and understanding an entirely new set of platforms will be important to push stories through and reach audiences.
It’s exciting to think about what lies ahead.
- Gina Preoteasa, Vice President