Media: Communication Trends and Habits

Welcome back to my blog! Today’s topic will focus on Media and Communication Trends and Habits. 

As technology continues to advance so does the world of media and communication.  In the old days of conducting business, people wrote letters to clients and face to face meetings were held with each other.  Today’s world of communication has changed drastically.  In the ever evolving world of communication we have a variety of communication trends and devices being introduced into society.  These rapidly advancing technologies are already dramatically changing how we communicate with each.  Along with this variety of communication trends comes a large demographic of users most of which are technology savvy.  Let’s take a look at the generation z for a moment.

Today’s high school age group have grown up with computers and cell phones and most don’t remember not having them.  This age group are the ultimate digitized consumers.  Most of this age groups communication is though text messages, cellphones, tweets, and instant messages.  This group lives in the social media world.  More communication habits are leading toward text, Facebook messages, video chats, twitter, DM, etc. rather than the old traditional email.  This generation is using technology in a way that is smarter and more innovated that ever.  They are engaging, contributing, sharing and learning on open platforms in pursuit of greater potential and connectedness. 

Communication is an integral part of life and being able to communicate effectively is very important.  Good communication is the key to all human activity.  It is necessary for learning, exchanging information, and generally taking care of each other.  Our views on reading of the paper or doing research have basically become very different largely because of the internet and other resources available to us.  And so do our views of communication in general.  Continually advancing technology is bringing about dramatic changes in the communication trends all over the world. The message from these new and innovative communication trends is that society is always seeking more effective ways to communicate and to get their message across.

Increasing social medial platforms such as Google, Google Plus, Pinterest and Linkedin are becoming really mainstream these days.  The future is set to be big for social media users and those that are savvier with advertising across all platforms and markets.

In a recent study conducted by Adobe it shows that social media marketing remains very vibrant in most marketing areas for years to come. That study had five social media marketing trends to focus on for 2014: Facbook vs. Twitter, Snap Chat Marketing, Google Plus, Collaborative Mainstreaming, and Videos.  The study went on to say:

1. FACEBOOK vs. TWITTER

“Is Twitter better than Facebook with its 1.18 billion users, of which close to 58% are active daily, with an average of 20 minutes per day, Facebook is certainly not disappearing anytime soon but it has reached a certain plateau, with some decreases within the younger generations.

Twitter has become a public company that will send the 7 year-old platform into the limelight.  A study by Pew Internet & American conducted earlier this year found that more and more teenagers were jumping ship from Facebook to Twitter and Instagram, in great part “because there is less drama”. It’s also easier to push pass parents’ radars and have a more secretive approach on Twitter.  

2. SNAPCHAT MARKETING

Snapchat, is a new and trendy mobile application that sends out messages (text, photo or short video), called “snaps”, that auto-destruct after a short moment of time, between 1 to 10 seconds depending on how the snap was set up. As of April 2013, its 5 million active users were uploading over 150 million photos per day. The mere fact that snaps get deleted from the server after their time limit explains why so many people are embracing this new app.

3. GOOGLE+

A study published on emarketer found that Google+ had now over 540 million active users, making it number two worldwide after Facebook. Google+ remains a very important part of the digital world. The question that lingers is whether Google+ will gain more mainstream attention, i.e. get folks to stick around longer, and that much sought-after time spent on the platform in order to draw advertisers and marketers attention.

4. COLLABORATIVE GOES MAINSTREAM

In the past decade, with user-generated content platforms such as TripAdvisor or Yelp, individuals have had the ability and power that comes from bypassing traditional channels to voice concerns and feedback. But now, one can truly observe how the collaborative economy is truly a disruptor in the travel industry, among others. New technologies now make it so much easier for people to deal directly with other people, in what some also call the peer-to-peer movement.

In the travel sphere, we are already seeing guided tours, transportation alternatives, home-cooked meals hosted by locals and of course the very lucrative business of renting out rooms, apartments or unique accommodation outside of traditional channels. But this trend is not unique to travel & hospitality: folks can now borrow working tools from peers, rather than buying them from local known retailers.

5. VIDEOS

 

Videos should continue their upward ascent in the social media marketing toolbox hierarchy. In particular short videos. YouTube shows no sign of fatigue, all the contrary in fact with its 100 hours of video uploaded every hour. Videos (along with blogs & podcasts) were indeed already identified as the hot marketing trends to look out for. And we are now seeing more and more companies embrace these short videos as quick, inexpensive and efficient ways to tell their brand story. Without a doubt, this is one trend we can expect to continue to grow in 2014.”

This article really put such a great perspective on the trends in today’s media and communication arena.  As we have discussed in previous posts and other assignments these areas are definitely the focus of current and future trends.

Hope you enjoyed today’s post and as always your comments and feedback are welcome.