Social media is one of the biggest industries in the modern world. Due to their constant updates, social media platforms continue to grow in popularity, showing no sign of slowing down. Social media is no longer limited to younger generations, but has now become popular across all age demographics and is an essential marketing tool. Through this popularity, standout trends continue to emerge each year

Here’s a breakdown of the five latest and greatest trends that have dominated 2017 so far and that will keep evolving.

Filters On Social Media

These artificial intelligence facial filters were first seen on Snapchat and have continued to expand to many other social media applications. They are now being used on other popular forms of social media, such as Instagram and Facebook. This feature is an interactive and unique way for users to engage with social media. While not seemingly highly impactful, the filters do create a shared experience for all individuals who engage with the application, forming a sense of community when people around the world use the same filters.

Short Video Stories And Expiring Content

This type of content is known for its popular feature of lasting for a short period of time. Typically, these video stories last 24 hours from the time of initial posting. Due to its limited time of visibility, this content becomes very relevant during the period that it is live, drawing users into this form of social media. This relevance creates a sense of urgency for users to check in periodically, so as not to miss any stories during their “live period.”

It has been used by a vast array of influencers, from chefs inviting their audiences to their kitchens and demonstrating a recipe’s steps in real time, to beauty bloggers showing how to recreate a particular makeup look in a few steps broken down into video stories. Typically viewed as a “behind the scenes” form of media, expiring video stories are one of the most popular social media trends today.

When our firm hosted a panel at Dwell on Design last June, Shea McGee of Studio McGee pointed out that these types of videos have been an incredible way to engage with their audience. Expiring content gives Studio McGee the ability to share the progression of the projects it works on, instead of only showing the final results — perfectly decorated houses — on its Instagram feed.

Live Video Streams

Similar to video stories, live video streams are also becoming increasingly popular. They are now seen being used on Facebook and Instagram. These live streams encourage users to engage in an interactive, relevant and unfiltered way. While these can be used by anyone, they are especially popular for reporters or organizations who want to give access to their followers to an event they are taking part of.

Another popular format used mainly by public personalities are Q&As, where followers get to comment and ask questions live on the stream and see them answered by the person in real time. These videos are a great way to create a sense of community between viewers and the person streaming the video.

Social Messaging

Chatbots, which are simple artificial intelligence systems that the user interacts with via text or via Facebook Messenger, for example, have become an extension of social messaging apps, and experts are agreeing that this is one the biggest upcoming trends.

Many businesses are now integrating bots into their setup, as they offer a key way to improve customer service while combining the ease of social messaging with the support of website technicians, making obtaining information a simple task.

One notorious retailer that received a lot of press for its clever use of social messaging last December is Nordstrom. Seizing the holiday season as an opportunity to launch its chatbots, the team used AI technology to interact with consumers through Facebook Messenger and provide them with gift recommendations for their loved ones.