Social media trends give brands the opportunity to participate in the latest online cultural phenomena and generate buzz around their products or services. With platforms like TikTok and Instagram continuing to boom, influencers remain a powerful force for reaching young millennial and Gen Z audiences while WhatsApp is a magnet for business and personal messaging.
From gaining popularity solely for entertainment, such as short video clips on TikTok and Instagram reels or sharing viral jokes and memes – to providing forums for self-expression and opinion sharing, facilitating grassroots movements, civic debate and societal change – social media is changing the way people communicate. While risks like misinformation and polarization exist, social media has brought unprecedented empowerment and democratization to the masses – returning power of mass communication to everyday citizens.
While social networks enable new forms of connectivity, they also raise ethical and moral questions about the impact of these technologies on society. Excessive checking of notifications and scrolling leads to addictive behaviour affecting real-life relationships, mental health and well-being while trolling, public humiliation and harassment are easy to perpetrate on anonymous accounts. Additionally, financial fraud including fake news, phishing scams and Ponzi schemes spread quickly across platforms.
In a time where social-media users expect to be entertained, brands are increasingly opting for more authentic content that showcases their company culture and shows how their products or services are used in real life. Immersive videos are a great example of how this trend is being tapped into by companies, such as VMX who showcased their internal planning sessions and event setup for attendees to experience on their social media channels.
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