The social media landscape is all-encompassing today. We view our lives through a lens and these social networks decide what we see. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and many others vie for our precious attention. What are we to make of this? This presentation covers: - Why we use social media. - The established Western platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter. - The rising challengers: TikTok, Byte. - Changing engagements: What does success look like? - 4 predictions for the future.

1. The Future of
Social Media
CLARK BOYD
MARCH 2020
Newsletter
LinkedIn

2. Why we use social media
Four predictions for the future
Breaking down the algorithms
Questions/discussion

3. We live in the age
of the image

4. 90%
of information
transmitted to our
brains is visual.

5. In 2019, we took
over
1 trillion
smartphone
pictures

6. The average social
media user scrolls
through 380+
meters of content,
per day
383M

7. There is unprecedented
competition for attention.
Brands need to understand
what draws people to social
media.

8. Social Media Today
Has taken over the aesthetic of modern life.
We see ourselves and our world through a filter.
Social media is a performative medium.
The next billion users will define the future of social
media.
The key questions to understand this are...

9. How will we
communicate
in the future?
And how will
social networks
connect us?

10. FUTURE TREND 1 :
Social Commerce

11. Using Google today is a
highly visual experience.
Over 30% of searches
now trigger image results

12. Even Amazon
wants to look
like a social
network.
Our
engagements
fuel their
algorithms.

13. Meanwhile, social media
is becoming more like
search and ecommerce.
But, it has a visual
advantage.
WeChat and AliPay show
what Facebook wants to
create.

14. 2011 2015 2016 2019
Commerce
Image Editing/
Sharing
Data-Driven
Discovery
Image + Video
Stories
How Instagram Has Evolved

15. Burberry released its latest collection on
Instagram only.
Social media allows brands to create online
stores, outside their website.

16. Pinterest Visual Search: How It Works

17. YouTube videos are shoppable.
Facebook wants its 'Watch' platform to
introduce social viewing.
Watch out for Netflix - they will build new,
social features.
Spotify has also hinted at adding video, and
even e-sports could qualify as social media.
Agencies are important strategists, between
the platforms and their advertisers.
Shoppable, Social Everything

18. FUTURE TREND 2:
Truly immersive content

19. Facebook
Horizon
Facebook is pushing Virtual
Reality more than any other
social network.
Horizon is currently in Beta and
Facebook wants to launch this
year.

20. Brands will need to
create both music and
videos to join in with
trends. TikTok is all
about adding to
popular themes with
new content that
others can use.

21. "It's like YouTube, but so much easier and it's
instant. TikTok is about the moment.
The tools do the work; I can put out a post in 30
seconds."
- maia (mxmtoon)
1.5M followers, 57M likes on TikTok

22. Instagram is
adding new
editing tools,
making it easier
for brands
to post content
quickly.

23. Snapchat Lens
Builder
Brands can now start building AR
experiences, with limited or no
coding skills.
The emphasis is on creativity and
speed.

24. FUTURE TREND 3:
The giants get too big.

25. Facebook is merging its three big
messaging platforms.

26. But,
Facebook knows people
are moving towards
closer, smaller online
communities too.
It continues to test
smaller platforms, like
HOBBI

27. And ephemeral posts.
Even LinkedIn is testing a Stories product.
Twitter Fleets LinkedIn Stories

28. Meanwhile, Instagram is Copying TikTok

29. Byte is the new version of Vine (remember
Vine?).
It allows users to monetize their following much
more easily than on TikTok/Instagram. Likes/re-
bytes can make money.
It is new, but if it grows it will influence the
bigger social networks.
People will follow the influencers, wherever
they choose to post their content.
Byte

30. Streaming platforms have started
to poach E-sports talent from their
rivals, tying the players down to
contracts and endorsement deals.
It is possible that social networks
will pursue such a strategy, even if
it is tricky to implement.
Without content and engagement,
they are empty.

31. FUTURE TREND 4:
Changing Engagement

32. How Marketers define engagement
when measuring social success

33. Instagram removes likes
The size of platforms like
Instagram has increased
pressure on vanity metrics.
In turn, this reduces
engagement. People only post
what they know will be
liked/shared.

34. Virtual Influencers
The size of platforms like
Instagram has increased
pressure on vanity metrics.
In turn, this reduces
engagement. People only
post what they know will be
liked/shared.

35. Virtual Influencers
People are willing to connect
with virtual influencers. The key
is the connection they feel to
the content.
After all, do we ever really know
'human' influencers? They are
always a pixellated
representation.

36. Facebook Wants to Enable
Brand-Influencer connections

37. But We Should
Be Wary: Social
Networks Control
What We See

38. UNDERSTANDING
THE ALGORITHMS

39. Understanding The Algorithms

40. Understanding The Algorithms
Inventory: Which posts could
we show to this user?
Signals: Content type/quality,
text, publisher reputation.
Predictions: Will this user like
this content?
Score: The matching score
between content and user.

41. FINAL THOUGHTS...
Platforms: Every social network wants to be the
one-stop shop for our communications. Facebook
and WeChat are closest to achieving this, but no-
one can ever get there. People want something
new, all the time.
Content: The historical trend line points to more
immersive content that users can adapt and add to.
They want to co-create your brand.
How to use the platform interfaces.
New advertising products.
Latest content trends.
Influencers: Macro and micro.
Data sources you can use.
Skills:
It is important to know about:

42. "Nobody wakes up in the morning excited to see
more advertising."
- WhatsApp co-founders

43. Thank you!
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