As we near the end of the year, we begin to question the year to come. What is next? What can we do to prepare? Specifically, where is media going in 2019?
For a while there, users were engaging in shared experiences, and while that is still very accurate, media consumption is shifting into more curated and connected content for consumers. Ever notice the “Recommended For You” feature on Instagram…their algorithms understand our every move, like, share, view and want to provide more carefully selected content like that to us.
So, what is next for media consumption in 2019? Let’s take a look:
- Digital technology utilization has reached its expected plateau. According to Pew Research Center, there was little to no growth from 2016 to 2018 in terms of U.S. consumers using their smart devices: cellphones, tablets, etc. The slowdown in growth correlates to the fact that almost everyone has some sort of smart device. This isn’t indicative of media usage, however. Users are now more aware of their time spent on device and in app…
- Time spent on device and in-app makes consumers highly aware of their consumption. Smartphones now allow you to receive a weekly update of your device usage. Even Facebook and Instagram are offering a tracking tool to users. You can set the amount of time per day you would prefer to spend on social platforms and receive notifications when you have reached that threshold.
- Audio and video streaming services are still rising. While video killed the radio star, streaming services are killing both their predecessors. According to Gartner Iconoculture, 55 percent of U.S. households now subscribe to at least one video-streaming service (up from 10 percent in 2009). In addition, the average subscriber pays for three different services, bringing the industry nearly $2.1 billion in revenue per month. Tired of ads? Try Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music or even Amazon Music Unlimited. While the latter options are still figuring out their audiences, Spotify and Apple Music are leading the streaming ship.
- Twitter and Snapchat are on their way out. (Well sort of.) The two social platforms have seen a steady decline in users in 2018 and we anticipate that will continue in 2019. In efforts to redesign the user interface, Snapchat appeared to fail quite miserably, leading to several unhappy users. So much so, the platform saw a 15 percent stock price drop within the first quarter (yikes!). And according to Bloomberg, Twitter lost nearly one million users in the second quarter of this year.
- YouTube’s recommended content causes users to stay in platform longer. Ever watch a YouTube video and then realize it’s a half hour later and you’ve watched too many cooking recipes, makeup tutorials, reaction videos or fail compilations? (Cue nervous laughter. Yeah, me neither.) Today, users are engaging in YouTube videos for more than just entertainment purposes. According to Pew Research Center, nearly 50 percent of users watch YouTube videos for how-to related content, while 13 percent find the platform informative in understanding world events. In addition, due to YouTube’s algorithm, users are staying on the platform even longer than anticipated. The algorithm encourages users to watch “Recommended Content” based on videos they have watched previously, with nearly 81 percent of YouTube viewers clicking on the recommended content. (Okay, one more “animals doing cute things” video and then we will do something else.)
What else can marketers expect from 2019? Read up on the latest in:
