War, crime and an increase in mental illness have led to many feeling alone and therefore prioritizing what is considered important in social media, says the digital strategist.
– This means that we need dialogue. It is usually said that it is community over entertainment, which has been what has somehow driven social media in the last year, says Hanaw Rashid, digital strategist, to TV4 Nyhetsmorgon.
Dialogues in focus
According to Hanaw Rashid, there is still a great demand for entertainment, but precisely feeling belonging in dialogues has received a lot of focus.
– If we look at Instagram, there has been a function called “broadcast channel” which allows you as a creator to post much more to your followers and post pictures, videos as still one-way communication. Something that will certainly develop, but followers can today react and vote.
The “broadcast channels” on the social media platform are similar to a chat function where only the creator can send stuff out. The followers can choose to be part of the channel where the creator can, among other things, ask questions and create engagement – which creates a netness perspective.
– The platforms adapt very much to how the world looks. It’s not just them who decide how we should communicate, but they also look a lot at what we need and how we use the channels and therefore constantly try to develop them according to how we behave, says Hanaw Rashid.
Traditional media must adapt
The news flow is constant and the way we take part in it has also differed.
– People who were born after the turn of the millennium take part in almost all types of news on social media. Mainly TikTok, but also Instagram and YouTube, says the digital strategist.
She also emphasizes that it is still not “done” for traditional media. However, adapting to this is increasingly important, and you therefore have to listen and look at what your target group is.
“Feeling worried”
Artificial intelligence, also called AI, is another major feature that has trended in the digital year 2023. It has been around for a long time but is developing at a fast pace, which has also contributed to concerns.
– AI is a reason why we feel worried. It is quite new and you hear both positive and negative things. There is a lot of “fake news” being spread and therefore it is important that traditional media are on social media and deliver the actual news, says Hanaw Rashid.
The boundary between traditional media and social media is therefore expected to blur even more.
– It will only be media. Point.
More people want to see short videos on social media
Short video formats dominate on social media.
– There will continue to be very, very fast and short clips, but it doesn’t have to be just that. However, long clips are not completely dead. We still like to watch it or listen to long podcasts. Something that is, however, used as background material while the short clips are actively watched, says the digital strategist.
Hanaw Rashid therefore believes that more people will unknowingly publish more moving material.
To demonstrate the influence the short clips can have on social media, she gives an example of a recipe with “fruit roll-ups” and ice cream that flourished on the social media platform TikTok.
The recipe became so popular on the app, with over 240 million views, that it exploded on social media and the ingredient sold out.