Data and privacy
In recent years, data and privacy issues have raised a lot of concerns. You all know the 2018 case of how Facebook misused personal information and data and outsourced it to Cambridge Analytica, working on the Trump 2016 election campaign. What happened here was a complete breach of personal privacy.
Some of the biggest concerns that users have are:
- How secure is your personal information
- Who can access personal information
- What are data laws
- How can you delete your data
You don’t really know how a third party can use your personal information for their purposes without your consent. Therefore, digital privacy laws are vital, and you can expect tighter data privacy laws and enforcement in the future.
Tighter enforced regulations
Things like cyberbullying, creating fake news, offensive contents, politically sensitive contents, inappropriate or abusive contents, etc. are major issues to be tackled. These are things that can be damaging to an individual or a community. And in recent years, we have seen its impact and how rapidly it has become frequent.
Therefore, you can expect tighter regulations such as:
- End to end encryption
- Offenses punishable by law
- Data privacy laws
Rise in multi-networking
With the rapid increase of internet users, you can also expect a shift from popular social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, etc. There are new networking sites such as:
- Twitch
- Tik Tok
- Lasso
- Houseparty
- Steemit
Users can opt for multi-networking where they can be on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and be streaming on Twitch at the same time.
Shifts in content consumption
We usually consume content in the form of a video or a photo. A video is one of the most popular formats that users tend to go for. However, live streams are slowly attracting a lot of users. The Covid-19 pandemic also played a role in it. Users can now interact in real-time and stay connected. Many social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc., also provide live stream options.
You can also see an increase in the use of voice searches. People tend to go for voice searches instead of typing. A good example is ‘Alexa,’ a smart speaker that can do all your searches and provide you with the required content.
Conclusion
Social media users will only keep increasing. And with an increase in users of different age groups, you can expect new trends to keep growing as you enter a new decade.
