The future of social media

Where is social media going? A technology that is still rapidly evolving is taking over the world of media. Fueled by the increase of Cellular usage, and a changing demographic is changing what news we digest, how we digest it, and when. In order to keep with the times, media-based companies such as local radio and tv stations need to adapt their social media to keep up with the trend.

The new generation consumes more audio and video media as compared to 10 years ago. This trent will only increase as time moves forward.

In order to captivate our audience, we have to address them on multiple platforms. The ability to interact with the media source is a big change in the industry. Consumers of media can taylor what news they hear, when they hear it, and can feedback on what they have seen, read, or heard. Contests and promotions as well can be more captivating and draw readers in by engaging them more, and the more engaged that they are, the more attached they become to whatever they are interacting with. It creates a relationship between the consumer and the source.

Real-time reporting and timely news updates are also crucial to news and entertainment promotion. If things aren't reported on the day of their happening, they become old news. Writers and editors will have to be vigilant for errors and fact finding in their posts, because less time is spent polishing the finished product and errors are more likely to go through because fewer people preview the stories before they are released.

Media has worldwide reach, and this will help news sources to become more content-specific, offering a deeper level of reporting on subjects that are of an informed nature to their followers.

Technology-wise, continued improvements in consumer convenience and changes in the way we interface with that technology will change as well. I can see more hands-free use and voice recognition, and more predictive software and content.

I for one am looking forward to the changing market to see what unfolds. Small producers are more capable of competing with larger sources thanks to the timeliness and reach of social media. It's going to be anybody's game!