Where Social Media Is Heading In 2013

Social Media continues to astound, fascinate, and evolve as a medium that seems to have no end. Naysayers have said it was a fad and would begin to die on the grapevine this year. So what happened? A new app from Twitter called ironically enough "Vine" appears and is quickly becoming a hot ticket for both consumers and businesses alike.

Yes, social media growth here in the US has slowed a bit to about 10% in 2011, but other countries where technology lags, social media is growing at over 50% in some areas. So where do I see the biggest impacts this year? Mobility and Multimedia. Most others agree. It's a no-brainer. We are on the pathway where these two social platforms will be the social media darlings. Let me explain. I am a news junkie and although I don't subscribe, I love following the Neilson ratings and they also have interesting tidbits of other information. I recently read their 2012 Report On Social Media . Last year, 43% percent of us here in the US now use our smartphones and 16% of us use our tablets to connect to social media (apps). This will continue to grow and I do foresee the desktop to become a secondary if not nearly obsolete computer application for the consumer. (Not so much for businesses) The downside is a greater demand for WI-FI connectivity. Businesses, schools, municipalities and enterprise campuses world-wide will have to deal with the BYOD, (Bring Your Own Device) as we become an almost complete mobile social society.

The other growth segment I see is Multimedia. Video streaming is everywhere. According again to Neilson, we are engaging more with social media while watching TV, on our smartphones, or using gaming devices. Be it You Tube posts, video streaming with Skype or U-Stream, we have tipped the scale with video applications socially. This study also includes chatting socially via embedded video on Facebook or Google +. I will be anxious to see how Twitter's "Vine" will play in 2013. Facebook alone is the dominant leader world-wide with the exception of 10 countries (China and other countries where "Western" communications are hindered. ) Twitter and Linkedin are the Number 2 and 3 leaders respectfully.

Hang on to your hat as we will be in for a wild ride in 2013 as Social Media continues to reinvent itself to keep up with our ever demanding needs for instant networking, and on the spot communication with our friends, business associates, clients, or whatever else we can think of as "We want it now!"