Social Media and Mobile Trends for 2012 by sagarganatra

 

 Social media is in a constant state of progression, technology is advancing at a fast pace which opens up new opportunities for you to interact, engage and share. Few years ago we wouldn’t have imagined the huge impact social media would have on our lives. So what is there to expect from social media and mobile marketing in 2012? I’ve written down some ideas and trends that you should keep an eye on during the next year.

• More than half of social networking sites’ usage will be on mobile devices. Social media is happening in real time and people share content when it’s happening! As more people get smartphones and tablets, sharing content will move towards mobile devices. Smartphones gives us extra depth into personalization – we can share what we want, when we want. The limits are fading! You will always be connected with social media, no matter where you are!
• NFC chips will gain more ground. More services and mobile devices with NFC chips will be released paving way to the new era of “tap & pay” commerce. Also, more loyalty programs will start moving towards NFC solutions. NFC will be a more convenient and time-saving way for you to connect, share and react.
• Social gaming through mobile devices will reach the masses. Gaming on social networks and mobile devices will be integrated which means that games that are hosted on social networks, from juggernauts such as Zynga and EA on Facebook, will be playable on mobile devices. These kinds of games will be played on-the-go – when you’re travelling by bus, sitting in a boring lecture, waiting for your lunch, etc.
• Users will be able to change live TV through interactions on social networks. TV shows which are hosted live will react to user interactions such as votes, suggestions, etc. We have the ability to change what’s happening by providing real-time feedback on social networks.
• Social commerce will become popular on mobile devices. The partnership between eBay and Facebook will lead us into a new era in eCommerce where you can directly purchase from your Facebook account. With the introduction of Facebook’s mobile platform social commerce will become popular on mobile devices. Facebook’s Open Graph language will also let you directly purchase with Facebook credits based on recommendations by your friends.
• Mobile applications will become more social. All of the successful new mobile apps will be deeply integrated with social networks allowing you to share and engage more than ever before. We will be taking in a lot of suggestions and recommendations from our friends, colleagues and other trustworthy peers.
• Location based services will get more coverage. We are moving towards an era of real-time need for information. More and more people will be checking for recommendations about nearby restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. Moreover, location based services will be part of many marketing campaigns such as scavenger hunts.
• Online news will become more social. News websites will gradually be replaced by applications integrated with social media such as Facebook’s Open Graph. While this won’t happen instantly, I think we’re going down that road as we speak. More and more people will be reading news from their dedicated applications such as iPad’s Flipboard or Washington Post Social Reader. We will take in a lot of recommendations and read the same things that our friends are reading.

There you go! Do you think you have something to add to the list? Or do you perhaps disagree with some of my predictions? Please post your thoughts in the comments!