Organization Name: Discovery Channel/Daily Planet
Industry: Television/Program
Name of contact if available: Lucas Cochran
Description of How Social Media is used for Business Performance
People think the key to expanding a social media presence comes down to content, audience, and a little bit of luck. No one knows for sure what is going to make a lasting impression or impact. Something that makes a huge splash today might fizzle tomorrow.
The biggest element for social media expansion is the ability to anticipate. You have to anticipate the scope of technological advancements in the near future. Upgrades to specific web formats or social media platforms. The emergence of new forms of communication and devices that allow us to access this information. Being on the pulse of social media trends, spanning from Facebook to Instagram, and every platform in between, can help shape the content you share.
One way to understand the future of social media, is understanding the vastly changing technological landscape. Predicting the future of technological modernization and usability is no easy task. There are thousands of immense possibilities and others that we couldn’t even fathom. Rather than postulating on far-fetched pipe dreams and techie Utopias, going straight to the source gives us a realistic notion of what to expect in the future.
There’s no better source for technological innovation than the Discovery Channel. For almost 30 years, Discovery has been the authority on the future of innovation and technological advancements. Lucas Cochran from Future Tech, a popular segment on Daily Planet, took some time to discuss social media trends that he predicts will dazzle our tech-obsessions.
With recent developments in communication devices, we are so dependent on having resources at our fingertips. Our generation is used to instant access to every social media outlet and are accustomed to a certain standard of convenience. We are lost when we forget our cell phones at home and don’t know how to mediate an awkward bus ride after the battery on our tablet died. Do I make eye contact with the visibly ill dude breathing hot air in my face? Or do I pretend I am still listening to music? Lucas estimates that this will be a problem of the past. With wearable technology, we will have access to all of our web-based interactions without worrying if our phone is on the kitchen table or loses its charge:
“The next big trend in social media is going to be wearable tech. You can’t beat the convienece…the smart watch technology is blowing up!”
Not only will we have ease of access with wearable technologies, we will be able to integrate them in a more aesthetically pleasing way. Instead of clumsily toting around a tablet, bumping into unsuspecting people, we can look as smooth as James Bond, checking updates with alertness and awareness on our wrist. Lucas’ interview with Penn Jillette illuminates the strides hit in creating even more Bond-esque technology a reality.
Along with wearable technology, Lucas describes his own idealization of how technology will become more intuitive and user-friendly. We’ve all been in a sticky situation where we need to reply to an important email or post something relative and time sensitive…and your battery…is about…to die. It always seems like our technology is out of service in our most dire time of need. With so many advancements in motion-based technology, Lucas once again predicts a possible innovation that harnesses our motion or solar energy to charge devices. This tech possibility would revolutionize the way we can interact with our devices and ensure constant and undisrupted access to social media and web-based communication.
With rapidly changing devices, it is also clear that the incorporation and improvement of mobile sites is an essential part of social media growth. Mobile sites at the current time leave a lot to the imagination. Some have clunky designs and others just don’t function like they should. The social media industry, along with Lucas and other techie insiders, expect there to be a huge boom in the advancement and interactivity with mobile sites. The acceleration of devices needs to be met with substantial updates in the ways in which we can view and use websites on the go. It is very promising that in today’s fast paced world, we will have just as much flexibility on mobile devices than we currently have on our desktop models. Until then, keep dreaming of your elusive tech version of Big Foot!
Lessons for Others
- Embrace Change: Some people resist the concept of change. Social media tactics and communication cannot stagnate. In order to implement successful social media campaigns and marketing strategies, change is the only constant element. Don’t fear change. Jump on trends. Try something outside of a comfort zone. It will speak to your audience and grow your reach.
- Anticipate: Social media is all about trial and error. You never know what people will respond to. The best way to reach your audience is to anticipate their needs by gauging how they fit into trending topics. You can dictate trends if you actively investigate what has been popular in the past to predict the future. It never hurts to see what the competition is offering…it might help you anticipate your next campaign dependent on the positive response.
- Technology is Your Friend: Not all technology is going to turn on you like HAL from 2001 Space Odyssey. Have some faith. The more you accept the inevitably changing landscape of social media platforms and the devices we use to access them, the better you can develop your presence.
Submitted By: Constance Adams, University of Waterloo
To contact the author of this entry please email at: constanceadams@hotmail.com
If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.
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