Technology development has exploded in 2018 and the past few years. This has been an incredible year to be living in, regarding technology, and the rate at which it evolves. Thirty or forty years ago, a state of the art computer used a floppy disk and a 20 MB hard drive. Today our phones and watches are ten thousand times more powerful and efficient. The human element is part and parcel of this technological age.
Online and Social Media Trends Today
The world wide web is used for just about everything. It is used to answer questions about regions, food and social trends that can pinpoint and develop one’s areas of interest. It is also useful for practicalities like mapping out a journey or researching a news story or history project. You can use it to track your kids, even your furry “kids.” It’s the most important way to reach the masses on a global scale, whether it is for public service messages, spouting opinions or selling a product or service. Some trends currently happening may surprise you, others may not.
Online News
It is still common knowledge that newspapers are on their way out. Why? Paper takes too long. By the time a newspaper has hit the stands, anywhere from two to 10, online news cycles have passed, and the ‘new’ news from print versions is now old. More importantly, print news is very broad. In order to reach its audience, it must print “a little something for everybody.”
In contrast, online news lets consumers target news according to their interests. Smart news organizations are converting to online news on a broad scale, recognizing the need to change. Here’s another example of how the human element is, or should be, the critical target of technology: the public’s need for trust and accountability on a mass scale.
Twitter has replaced press releases in some ways. Personas, celebrities and politicians forgo the press in favor of getting their message to their followers and fan bases through social media, namely Twitter. One of the things that Donald Trump exposed by his unrelenting use of technology, mainly via Twitter, was how many mainstream news media reporters and swamp politicians were engaging in false reporting. Trump exposed their lies by giving his Twitter followers the chance to see, first hand, what he said and how he said it. By doing this, he gave his followers a way to compare how it was reported elsewhere.
The more President Trump used Twitter; the more perpetrators were exposed time after time. Because of public outcry, one significant trend among media executives reveals how critically important truthfulness and factual accountability is to their company’s longevity. It took Trump to make them see what they should have seen all along. Another trend that bears watching is the rise of Instagram and its impact on social media.
Instagram is pegged as one of the fastest growing media sites today. I recently conducted an informal interview with three millennials. One was an accomplished manager of a healthcare group, fast-tracked on her way to becoming an executive. Another was a classically trained singer back from the Czech Republic, where he had a lead role in “The Marriage of Figaro.” The last was a former Marine who saw battle in Afghanistan, and who traded in his tank rebuilding skills to be a crane mechanic while raising his new family. None of them have reached the age of 30.
When asked about their views on social media, all said their main resource was Instagram, specifically because they could personalize their interests. None like Facebook because of how Facebook forces users to keep what others have posted. More surprisingly was how each said they use Instagram as a resource to buy things and welcome ads that cater to their interests.
Story Reels
Another trend, within this trend, is what they called Story Reels, which allows them to communicate by video. This is something that other media sites are investing in as well. Each avoids political communities, and neither use Twitter or even know how to, but they love Instagram.
Interesting trends! These social media and online media trends address core, basic human needs. Through sites like Instagram, consumers will tell you what interests them; listen to them then deliver honest, reliable information in the form of news, fun facts, and things to buy that will make their lives easier, or better because of it.
Ted Beagleman / Writer
- Chairman Kevin Hassett on America’s Booming Economy - October 19, 2018
- Donald Trump Management Style: Top-Down Leadership - August 25, 2018
- The Best Social Media Trends in Media Involve the Human Element - August 18, 2018
JOIN US @NewRightNetwork on our Telegram, Twitter, Facebook Page and Groups, and other social media for instant news updates!
New Right Network depends on your support as a patriot-ran American news network. Donate now