David Armano of lays out his predictions for 6 social media trends for 2011. Read the full scoop on the Harvard Business Review here.
He makes some interesting points (boiled down, below):
1. It’s The Integration Economy, Stupid.
2. Tablet & Mobile Wars Create Ubiquitous Social Computing.
3. Facebook Interrupts Location-Based Networking.
4. Average Participants Experience Social Media Schizophrenia.
5. Google Doesn’t Beat Them, They Join Them.
6. Social Functionality Makes Websites Fashionable Again.
#1 – I have been saying this for a over a year! We’ve created ALL these apps, tools, websites, etc…and that rapid expansion will continue, but it’s also inevitable that we’ll start seeing more consolidation and integration…making tools that are even more powerful and valuable.
#3 – Facebook needs to buy MeetUp and FourSquare, enhancing their online community-building power with location-based, in-person connectivity.
#5 – The next phase of Gov 2.0 is government entities seeing THEIR websites as the place to engage people, integrating the interaction and engagement capabilities of Facebook, Twitter, etc. into their main hub on the web.
@Andrew – I have to quibble with you on #1. I think that we might actually see more variety in apps and tools because you have a lot of folks out there who are trying to be the “Next Big Thing.” There are also those who don’t want to have everything held by one company. I use a lot of Google apps but I am still concerned about letting one company have that much control over my digital life. And I also feel that way about Facebook. People still have bad feelings about how Microsoft essentially controlled the desktop for over a decade and the lack of innovation and helplessness that ensued. I like my apps but I want to build my own custom suite of tools rather than have someone else decide for me what I need.