The recent Techcrunch Disrupt conference in New York highlighted some dynamic social media and technological trends in the US, already arriving over here or en route to us very soon. The most notable include:
- The Social Media Revolution – it is said that social media has only made 1% of its potential impact to date. Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post has said that “social media is the new entertainment” and it is widely considered that this exciting journey has only really just started.
- Facebook And Twitter Rule – new business start ups and established business are cashing in on these big two, by either piggybacking on to them for new users or building apps that integrate deeply with them.
- Imitatating the ‘AirBnb’ model – currently shaking up the hotel industry with an online DIY accommodation approach, changing the way people stay in other cities http://www.airbnb.com/ (check how many properties in your locality or your dream destinations are already posted here!). For the AirBnb ad see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaOFuW011G8
- The Rise of Tablets – in this case, iPad 2 and Kindles, taking over rapidly from printed matter and set to shift ad spends straight across from newspapers and magazines
- Mobile & Apps Storming – New York’s most popular current platforms are Android and Apple iOS; the vast majority of current apps revolve around either functional tasks or location/social based activity.
- Virtual Wallets Replace Cash – Square have launched a new tool that could end up replacing receipts and till registers with an app and an iPad. Now welcome Google Wallet, a tool that turns your phone in to a wallet and does away with the need for cash.
- Photo Sharing Boom Continues – new photo sharing apps have been emerging, including Instagram, Picplz and Path, to join established players like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. Many new apps are anticipated and photos are being added in to many other services, from invoicing to location based apps. Better quality mobile phone cameras and the general boom in photo sharing are expected to speed up this trend.
Watch this space and follow @karenwisdom on Twitter to hear more, as these and other new social media trends develop.
