How Does Emerging Technology Affect Our Use of Social Media? – by Sabina Muntean
It seems that with the start of the new year, more and more companies are either launching new products or announcing plans to do so in 2019. For example, Facebook launched its Portal device – a video-chatting device that features a large screen that moves to follow the speaker – at the end of 2018 but began advertising it in earnest this year. Apple is already dropping hits at the latest version of the iPhone to be released at the end of 2019. But how do all these emerging technologies affect the thing that we spend most of our time doing – interacting on social media?
If we use the newest iPhone as an example, and imagine for a moment that it will in fact have a 3D camera in the back as some of the rumors say, how would that change our use of social media? It might result in a slew of Instagram posts consisting of 3D photos of places to which our friends travelled. Perhaps those photos would be places we know of and have seen many times before, but never in 3D photo form. Some new trend may even appear as more and more people obtain the newest iPhone, further adding to the ever-increasing iPhone tribe.
What about the Portal by Facebook? It seemingly does not affect social media, as it’s a video-chatting tool. However, the Portal can only be used via Facebook and its messaging platform. Considering everyone and their mother has a Facebook account, this device doesn’t seem to exclude many people – in contract to the newest iPhone. This new device might lead to more face-to-face conversations, even if they are virtual. Facebook users who use the messaging app often may find it more fun at first to communicate with their Facebook friends. They might then realize that there is a benefit to seeing the person you’re talking to, slowly driving people back towards talking directly to one another in real life, rather than virtually. This might be just wishful thinking, though.
There is talk of a lot more IoT integration coming in 2019. Millennials and members of Generation Z are seeking constant connectivity. Integration IoT into social media could be the next big thing. Marketing through social media might change drastically. Based on a user’s preferences, scrolling patterns, and time spent on a post, companies may become even better able to determine who exactly falls into their target audience, and how and when to best reach these people. From choosing to launch ads when someone comes home and avoiding bombarding that person with ads while he or she is at work, vendors might be able to limit their number of ads while increasing their relevance.
The exponential growth of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning is also bound to affect our social media habits. What if instead of scrolling through your Instagram feed, images could be projected directly into your line of vision like something out of an episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror? Depending on how long you spend on certain posts and how quickly you scroll, you may be able to lie in bed and watch your social feed on your ceiling. This may be a bit ambitious for 2019, but something to consider in the coming years.
Let’s consider the Apple Watch, as well. Granted, this is a product that has been on the market for a few years, but as with all things Apple, there is a new and improved version that was recently released, the Apple Watch Series 4. How can this affect our use of social media? For one, the Series 4 can be used without being tethered to your iPhone, meaning you can scroll through your various social feeds while having your phone out of range. For instance, a person might go to the gym and feel that their phone is too bulky to have with them while lifting weights. However, this person might want something to do while between sets or while waiting for certain machines or weights to free up. With the Apple Watch Series 4, she can easily browse through her Instagram post even without having her phone nearby.
The above scenarios are all just conjectures, of course. One this is certain: the new technologies of 2019 are bound to change the way we use social media. It will be interesting to see how exactly this plays out in the coming year.
