The Next Big Thing In Social Media

Anvita Arora Jun 30, 2022

The next big thing on social media probably will not be a profound Tik-Tok/FB-launch level change. Rather be a concerted effort by the many to protect their time, peace and privacy. Let’s first look at why we’re in this situation.

There was a time when social media was a medium to form and maintain friendships and connections. As they’ve progressed, they’ve become more about personal brand maintenance and attempts to form and join various zeitgeists and a gold mine for businesses.

There are plenty of lists online on what the next big trends would be on social media from social commerce, social audio, the dominance of video content and the paramount need for personalisation to name a few. But largely what happens next in social media is almost always defined by the ever-changing business models, and strides made in storytelling technology. How will businesses use social media to build audiences and spread their message? And how will platforms like Discord, Twitter, Meta, and others make money doing so?

However, the current state of world affairs has exposed a lot of what is wrong in social media, making us all so acutely and constantly questioning what is wrong with ourselves, comparing and contrasting with others, doom scrolling, and the dopamine rush of the “like” and craving that validation after, influencers flaunting a life of seemingly unattainable luxury that we barely have space in our minds for anything other than inadequacies and anxiety. Hence the self-care and heartfulness movements are big right now. In a world as terrifying and chaotic as ours, with a constant barrage of stimuli and information, personal well-being is a thing we must actively pursue and maintain. However counterintuitive it sounds to pay for a social media experience, there is a newfound need for premium services where one can escape constant advertisements along with exclusive access to more personal, story-driven experience, customers will want high-quality content - images, videos and audio.

Today, WEB3 tech is trending and new social media platforms are being developed based on it. The fundamental reason for this is that they provide privacy, they don’t need to ask for any personal information from you and thus do not transfer it. Moreover, being decentralised allows earning online without any intermediaries. It’s a community-oriented network, which aims to give every person the right and power to feel valuable and worthy.

We are here for apps like Somewhere Good or Minds that take what we love about social media – the connection, conversation, and ability to network and meet like-minded people around the world – and amplify them. A platform that feels like an asset, not a detriment.

*The author is Anvita Arora, AVP - Brand Partnerships at Supari Studios