Social media shapes our world
Social media continues to shape everything from culture, the media, and even our most intimate relationships. We now spend more time than ever on our phones, with endless scrolling through social feeds, but is this changing? if so why?
Edison Research and Triton Digital 2019 findings show social media usage among Americans 12 to 34 years old over various platforms have either levelled off or is fading, 2019 research from Global Web Index hints that the quantity of time millennial and Gen Z public spend on multiple social platforms is either low, decreasing, or not growing as greatly as it has in previous years.
What is driving this shift?
Younger people are saying that after years spent building online identities and gathering heaps of online “friends” they want to show their true identities and make real friends based on shared interests. They’re also craving privacy, safety, and a respite from the throngs of people on social platforms.
Digital campfires
An article from The Harvard Business Review says the answer to this upcoming problem is digital campfires. Digital campfires offer a more intimate retreat where smaller groups of people are excited to gather around shared interests.
The three identified categories of digital campfires are as follows:
- Private messaging
- Micro-communities
- Shared experiences
Some digital campfires are a combination of all three.
Private messaging campfires frequently exist on popular social platforms. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are amongst several popular examples. The ZAK survey says 38% of people below 30 just use Facebook for Facebook Messenger.
Micro-community campfires are usually found on popular social platforms. Facebook Groups are probably the best-known example. The “close friends” feature within Instagram Stories has become a tool some influencers are using to share exclusive content and interact with small groups of their followers, for a fee.
The video game Fortnite is the best example of this type of campfire. The multiplayer game has more than 200 million users, 8 million of which would be active at the same time playing and interacting. Half of the player base say they play the game to keep up with their friends, some of whom have never met up in person.
Audio campfires
The world of audio suits these campfires perfectly. There is a massive demand for audio content with podcasts being the best example. The podcast genre is experiencing massive change and massive growth both in terms of consumption and creation. Podcast demographics are impressive with 52% of podcast listeners being male and 48% being female. The podcast market is exploding 20 million more podcast listeners in 2029 than there were in 2018.
Podcast listeners are much more active on all social media channels, 94% are active on at least one — vs 81% for the entire population. Podcast listeners are more likely to own a smart speaker like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. People have become tired with the ever-increasing issue with current forms of social media, it is not social. People are looking for a more realistic social experience, more in-depth information and content rather than an image or a limited number of characters to convey an opinion or get to know someone. Audio is the answer to this.
How to get involved in the era of audio
The Limor social audio platform creates the perfect balance for all of these “campfires”. Limor allows for the creation, sharing and interaction via voice through traditional podcasts, social audio and voice comments. This audio first environment allows for users to share real opinions, emotions, ideas and passions via the spoken word. The power of voice brings humanity and genuine connection back to social content, giving true value.
