The social media landscape is constantly evolving and ever-changing. When I first started my journey with social media, platforms like Xanga, Asian Avenue, Myspace, and AOL were the most frequented and used websites. Now, behemoths like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn have taken over. Billions of people around the world are constantly using these platforms on a daily basis and brands have become increasingly savvy utilizing these platforms for their own personal gain – whether increasing engagement, driving sales, or building a community.
The most successful brands have figured out how navigate these platforms and appeal to the audiences. As of now, what seems to be working the most is creating valuable content, being transparent, genuine, and engaging authentically with your audience. However, what’s working now may not always work in the future. It is a brand’s responsibility to recognize any shifts in trends or behavior and to keep on top of them so they don’t fall behind. It’s no longer sufficient to just survive in this digital media landscape, you need to thrive by staying ahead of the curve.
Today, I want to talk about some implications for brands they might face in the future and how it may impact their existing social media strategies. While you’re reading this, keep in mind whether you think these implications are due to changes in technology or human behavior? I will give you my thoughts below.
Navigating Future Brand Implications
There are a few implications I believe brands will need to contend with in the future: AI, platform shifts, and regulations.
AI – With the recent popularity and rise of AI, imagine mixed reality becoming part of the social media playground, transforming how we interact with content. AI is exponentially growing day after day. Every big company is coming out with their own AI technology: Grok, ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Gemini just to name a few. Meta has developed the Meta Quest goggles which include thousands of immersive experiences. Just imagine what a technology like this could do to the social media landscape. Brands need to be aware of this technology and be ready to pivot and make the necessary changes to incorporate this into their strategy if and when the time comes.
Platform shifts – As I stated above, when I first began my social media journey, the platforms I originally used are no longer in existence. That was only in the span of about 10-20 years. Just imagine what may happen between 2030-2050? Will Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn still even be around? What new technologies will have evolved by then? Brands need to make sure to not rely too heavily on just one platform and make sure to incorporate any trends or new technologies that may arise so they don’t get left behind.
Regulations – Brands need to be hyper-vigilant when it comes to new regulatory rules and regulations imposed by governments. For example, GDPR is a fairly new regulation imposed by Europe regarding data privacy. With the widespread use of AI, don’t be surprised to see more regulations being implemented to control or regulate it in some way.
Conclusion
The three implications brands need to be concerned about in the near future are AI, platform shifts, and regulations. I believe these shifts are mainly due to changes in technology. The technology human beings are able to develop is growing at an exponential rate. I believe the psychology and behaviors of human beings are rooted deeply in biology. Things like authenticity, trust, sincerity, and emotions are always going to be things humans are drawn to. When brands eventually adapt to new technology and trends, it will be important for them to remember these details.
What do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!