Technology makes a lot of things easier, and one of the things it makes easier is staying plugged into work and busy all the time. And while this round the clock connection to work may make us feel a bit more in control, it tends to make our social lives – at least in real life – a bit bleak.
This seems to be part of social media’s reinvention, then, to change how we connect to our friends; reconnecting us when the rush of constant doing keeps us apart. Smart phones made this easy, but it even gets easier. When Facebook first unveiled its messenger, many balked at the idea of constant access and interference, but we’ve all glued ourselves to it ever since then. Has it helped our social lives? The jury is out, but at least we’re talking.
In this bid for reconnection, new social platforms are springing up and others are shifting focus to gather us together with our friends once again. Here are some of the newest faces at the table, as well as some familiar ones who’ve got something new in mind.
The Trendsetters
We all have that friend who’s just a little too cool for us, but we want to hang around them anyway. You know the one, the trendsetter who always knows what’s new and hip. Well, the cool kids have their own platform now and it’s called The Trending.
On The Trending, users promote content that interests them, offer reviews and opinions, and receive feedback. Those with a real eye for what’s cool can become Trendsetters, and can even make a few dollars off their promotions and content creation.
Why should you hang out there? We all like being the first to know what’s cool, and The Trending is striving to be the new “it thing.” And because it creates trends based on social sharing, it’s a space that still builds connections, even through that cool veneer. We’re all more likely to read and engage with things our friends recommend, and The Trending is a new way to source those recommendations.
The Foodie Facebook
Allrecipes has been online for a long while – 18 years, in fact – but it’s never been a social network. Rather, it has been, as the name would suggest, a website that houses a vast collection of recipes. But not anymore. The new grown-up Allrecipes has taken the long obvious connection between food and friends, and made it a reality.
Allrecipes is now fostering connections between users by engaging what happens in the kitchen with what’s shared amongst friends. Users can now follow a Facebook-style feed showing what friends are making. They can even mark recipes as things they’ve made with fun “I Made It” buttons or collect recipes of interest.
In addition to collecting recipes, users on Allrecipes have been given greater profile room to personalize their presence. We may not be able to sip wine over that beautiful dinner with friends, but we can at least tell them we made it.
Share The Scene
One of the biggest motives behind social media posts is bragging about that cool thing you did last weekend. Well, with Capshare, you can not only show off all those great pictures, but create movies, set them to music, and add text and special effects. Your adventures just got even cooler.
A feature that sets Capshare apart from other multimedia creation apps is the sharing feature. Like most apps, you can share what you’ve created with friends, but what makes Capshare unique is that you can also use it as a collaborative tool. Did you and your best friend go to the same show? Now you can exchange pictures, create projects, and tell your story together.
No Site Left Behind
In the midst of all these new interactive experiences, Facebook wasn’t about to be left behind. Instead, the site is hoping to change the way users interact by moving beyond the like button and offering other reaction buttons. After all, how many times have we pressed like when what we really meant was, “I’m sorry that happened to you?” Soon you’ll be able to say it with emojis.
With so many new options for digital social connection, we can share, sympathize, synthesize, and suggest until our smartphones wear out. Where will you post next?
