Predictions for the Next Wave in Social Media

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT BLUESKY?

Is Bluesky overhyped? Probably. Does it represent a major shift in the way that future social networks will be built? Also, probably.

Jack Dorsey started working on his latest idea back in 2019 when he was still CEO of Twitter. If you listen to him, and the 50,000 or so people who have received early access, then Bluesky is set to shake up the social media landscape with its decentralized network. It makes a lot of big promises, the most central of them being its resistance to censorship, privacy features, and open-source nature.

The fundamental difference between every other network and Bluesky is that, rather than being a single company running one version of the social website, this version is built to operate more like email, where anyone can access their messages and transport their identity to any service provider that can access the network, the same way that we can all send and receive messages using Gmail, Outlook, Superhuman, etc.

Jack’s stated goal is to take the big decisions about things like censorship out of the hands of any one company, and instead create freedom of choice. For example, you could choose a G-rated version, or one that shows you only sports-related content, or one that is free of any content restrictions whatsoever.

Bluesky is certainly not alone in its efforts – dozens of projects have similar aims, including Nostr, Diaspora, Mastodon, and Steem. Given that we’re still in the early days, all that we can do is speculate, but that’s half the fun, so here are a few of my predictions for the implications of Bluesky:

1. A call for decentralization: The idea of an open and free social media landscape just makes sense, on paper at least. As the platform gains traction, we could see a mass exodus of early-adopters, businesses, and organizations, leaving those behind wondering where all of the interesting content went. The question will then be: Will it stick?
2. An explosion of dApps: Bluesky's open-source canvas is practically begging developers to paint a vibrant ecosystem of decentralized apps (dApps). If those early users do make a move over, then there will be a wave of creativity, with innovative applications catering to every imaginable user need, with new fun, never-before-seen features that will attract more attention to the new space.
3. Regulation drama: Bluesky's commitment to privacy and censorship resistance might be its most attractive quality, but it could also land the platform in some regulatory hot water. Each jurisdiction is so different from the other, and none of them have proven that they get even our current version of social media, so it’s entirely possible that we see the heavy hand of regulation stifle progress.
4. The great moderation experiment: Bluesky's community-driven approach to content moderation is a bold, unproven experiment in self-regulation. If it can prove that an online environment can thrive without Big Brother's watchful eye, Bluesky could set a new standard for the social media world.

While making predictions about people’s behaviour online is less reliable than throwing darts blindfolded, Bluesky's journey is one that's worth watching closely.

Read a deep dive on Bluesky from TechCrunch

IG MAKES SOURCING UGC JUST A BIT EASIER

ONE-CLICK PERMISSIONS & SHARING

Instagram is in the midst of testing a promising new feature that could change the way that we all work with creators and influencers. The platform is trying to easier find and share user-generated content (UGC) that mentions you, and systemize the otherwise messy process of permissions, attribution, and credit.

Now, when an IG user tags your brand account in their post, you’ll get a notification and you can then click a button to request permission to feature it in your feed, story, etc. There are a few restrictions, such as private accounts and posts with multiple product tags, but at minimum it will make it easier to start the conversation with that creator.

Here’s a quote straight from the team at Instagram:

“When a user tags a brand in a post, that brand will have the ability to request permission to feature their products in that post. Users that tag your business will likely appreciate that your brand would like to feature its products in their content. It will also allow their content to surface on brand-owned spaces, such as the product’s PDP or your shop on Instagram.”

Read all about it

META REDUCES GEO-TARGETING IN ITS ADS PLATFORM

WE’RE NO LONGER ABLE TO FILTER BY TRAVELLERS VS LOCALS

A lot of Meta advertisers are not going to love this one – especially those of you in tourism and events: They’re taking away some of the location targeting features.

Previously, you had four options to target people based on their location, including:

• Everyone in a location
• People who live in this location
• Recently in this location
• People traveling in this location

Now, there's only one: "Living in or recently in this location"

This update impacts all new ad sets, while current running campaigns with customized location targeting remain unaffected for now.

While this may not matter to some advertisers, it will have a pretty significant impact on anyone who relies on location-specific shipping, services for homeowners, politics, government, schools, and (especially) tourism. Imagine how much more difficult it’s going to be to target local voters with election ads, or travellers with tour experiences.

It looks like the update is live, although Facebook isn’t talking about it. For the best info source that we could find, check out this blog post by prominent digital ads writer Jon Loomer.

THE STATE OF SEARCH

THE WAY WE FIND STUFF ON THE INTERNET IS CHANGING

Every year SEM Rush releases their State of Search report. It’s always big, smart, and full of useful info. This year is no different.

We read the whole thing so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights:

• In 2022, overall traffic trends followed economic activity with a mid-year decline and end-of-year recovery. Some industries were affected by geopolitical and economic crises, while others experienced growth or seasonal shifts, but as a whole the year was stronger than pretty much anyone could have predicted.
• Google had 10 confirmed updates in 2022, which is a lot more than 2021 (but fairly typical for pre-COVID years).
• Types of search are categorizes as Informational, Navigational, Transactional, or Commercial
  • Commercial and Transactional are up (people are using search to buy stuff)
  • Informational and Navigational are down (they’re finding useful info elsewhere)
• In terms of website trends, there was a downward trend in the number of ranking domains, meaning that it’s harder than ever to get a new site to rank on the first page

The takeaway: Apps like TikTok, YouTube, and other networks give us more more interesting and engaging ways to find new stuff, so we don’t need Google for that anymore, but it is still the place that we go to get what we need. We should all be reviewing our SEO strategies and looking to make adjustments accordingly.

Read the State of Search report

KNOW IT ALL

MORE NEWS TO KEEP YOU ON THE CUTTING EDGE

• Reminder: The countdown is on – there are just 55 days until the Google Analytics 4 switchover
• Gmail is offering its own form of blue checks for email
• There’s a new algorithm-free social network on the block: RTRO
• A new ticketing and marketing platform promises to upend the ways that we seek out and engage with events.

Written by Conner Galway, Junction Consulting