3 Social Media Trends to Watch in 2013

Amorie Pickett

March 2, 2013

I’ll admit, I’m a little addicted to Facebook. I scroll through Facebook when I wake up, after brushing my teeth, on my lunch break and some more personal breaks as well. You know you do it too. Ok, maybe I am more than a little addicted. I am always looking for the next great distraction. But I’m not alone, and it looks like Facebook just isn’t cutting it for 2013.

Our world is filled with blogs, websites, game apps, movie apps, diet apps… There are apps for finding more apps that will be just right for you based on the apps you already have! Whether you want to consider these useful tools, distractions or pastimes, they are a constant in our lives and continually changing. So what’s on the horizon for social media this year? Here are are 3 social media trends that should be considered:

1. Visuals: Pinterest is relatively new in the social media world so it has a small following compared to Twitter and Facebook. Yet, it is one of the fastest growing social media sites reaching 25 million users in just three years. Even younger, Instagram (officially bought out by Facebook in September 2012) is a rising star in the visual social media market with about 100 million users. Images are getting better and getting noticed more, so get on board.

2. Mobile: Website designers and bloggers are learning that responsive design is a must. According to a Nielsen’s study, usage of computers to access the internet was slightly down (4 percent) in 2012 over 2011. The usage of tablets and cell phones as a means of connecting to the internet was way up (about 85 percent each). In case you’re still wondering what responsive design is, allow me to enlighten you (briefly). Responsive websites are built to display correctly no matter the device—whether you’re using your desktop, tablet or smartphone, the web page will be correctly formatted for your device.

3. Simplify: Despite the constant stream of tools, gadgets, apps, blogs, etc. that claim to make our lives easier, most people still feel busier, more overwhelmed and hassled. So one thing you will see in social media this year is people and companies simplifying their messages. According to Forbes:

“There is a sense that from the hyper-connectivity of our highly-digitized lives to the bright, flashy, complicated sensory input we’re fed everyday, there is no way to continue at this pace. As a result, 2013 is likely to be a year where the most successful marketing strategies will be ones that are not only simple in nature, but promote goods and services that serve to simplify the consumer’s life, or even just their customer experience.”

So while I won’t be giving up my Facebook addiction anytime soon, it sounds like I’ll be picking up a new fixation or two. My friends have been using the visual sites for a while now, and I can see now it’s time to give in and check it out… sorry gotta go. Pinterest is calling.