Social Media Experts Make Their Predictions for Trends in 2010

22 Dec 2009

TrendsSpotting Market Research is kicking off its predictions for 2010 with its report on social media — comprised of forecasts from everyone from Mashable founder Pete Cashmore to Craig Newmark, of Craigslist fame.

The report, which offers a tip of the hat to Twitter with its 140-character-per-prediction slideshow format, offers a smattering of prognostications, but we were most intrigued by two that came up again and again throughout the slideshow: Businesses finally integrating social media and seeing an actual ROI, and a shrinking/customization of the online world.

Business and Social Media

Some businesses already have a social media policy (as Brandon Jennings now knows all too well), but according to the Internet luminaries consulted for the report, we can expect a lot more engagement with online communities in the coming year. We already know that it’s feasible to make money off of services like Twitter — Dell did it — it remains to be seen how far companies will go when it comes to embracing the web to turn a profit. Some of the choicest quotes are below:

“Business will finally admit that social media ain’t some fad for kids and B-list movie stars.”
- Marta Kagan, managing director, U.S. Espresso-Brand Infiltration

“Social media in 2010 will cease being the shiny new object and instead become part of the everyday lexicon of business.”
- Charlene Li, Founder, Altimeter Group

“Look for social to become less about the ‘what is it’ and even more about the ROI.”
- Marc Meyer, principal, Digital Marketing Response Group

Shrinking the World Wide Web Into Communities

As the web becomes more expansive and all-encompassing, it’s only natural that we seek to contain it in some way, especially as mobile technology takes our real world interactions into the online world with such tools as Foursquare and other location-sharing devices (which Cashmore predicts will be spreading like proverbial wildfire this year).

The experts consulted on the report had some fascinating ideas regarding exclusivity that don’t seem all that far-fetched considering recent debates about privacy and the like. Check out some of the most intriguing conjectures below:

“I see velvet rope social networks, where some kind of gating to keep out the commons will occur.”
- Chris Brogan, president, New Marketing Labs

“Twitter will offer a premium level option that’ll allow the creation of hosted invite only discussions.”
- Marc Meyer, principal, Digital Marketing Response Group

“The technology will begin to fade into the background so that people can focus on the relationships that are created because of the technologies, not the technologies themselves.”
- Charlene Li, founder, Altimeter Group