In honor of Mashable's five-year anniversary, thisis supported by IDG. Matt York, President of IDG's Strategic Marketing Services explains why now is the time for marketers to conduct social experiments. Read more .Over the , social media has evolved from a handful of communities that existed solely in a web browser to a multi-billion dollar industry that's quickly expanding to mobile devices, driving major changes in content consumption habits and providing users with an identity and social graph that follows them across the web.With that framework in place, the next five years are going to see even more dramatic change.Fueled by advancements in underlying technology - the wires, wireless networks and hardware that make social media possible - a world where everything is connected awaits us.The result will be both significant shifts in our everyday lives and a changing of the guard in several industries that are only now starting to feel the impact of social media.The TechnologyThe growth of social media in the past five years was fueled not just by innovation from Internet entrepreneurs and developers, but by several key advancements behind the scenes.The rise of- which I called theof the past decade - would not have been possible without the wide availability of broadband and the advent of Flash 7.Similarly, the rapid rise of mobile apps in the last few years would not have been possible without major advances in smartphone capabilities (jump started by ) and higher speed mobile networks.Jumping ahead to today, consider for a moment that the first smartphone to run on 4G (the successor to 3G mobile broad and capable of significantly faster mobile broadband speeds) - the- hit the U.S. only this past June.Sprint's 4G network, however, only covers about 40 million people.Similarly, wireless broadband ISP Clearwirein May that its network - which is also used to offer service to Sprint, Verizon, and Time Warner cable subscribers - only reaches 41 million people.At the same time, mobile broadband subscriptions are expected to surpass 1 billion worldwide by 2013.Add to that ain wireline broadband that will give 90% of homes in the U.S. the option to have 50 mbps downstream broadband within the next few years, and the bottom line becomes clear: There's currently an enormous supply and demand gap to be filled, and when that happens, it will enable a whole new wave of social media innovation.The Strong Get StrongerWhile the relatively short history of social media dictates that a new site emerges as the "home of you and your friends" every few years (, then , then , for example), it seems unlikely we'll see the current pantheon of social media services - Facebook, , and YouTube - fall from prominence in the next five years.Facebook has a farand more diverse demographics than any social network before it, and is becoming a de facto login service around the web.YouTube continues to maintain an enormous lead in online video viewership and through aggressive deal-making, looks likely to fend off competition from upstarts with deeper pro-content libraries.Twitter has also become a formidable force with a 300,000+ app ecosystem and afor virtually every media company large and small.Most new outfits we see today -- whether working to , make reading more social, or makea shared experience - are thinking about how to leverage the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as opposed to how to build the next mega social network.The Next Frontiers for Social MediaGiven the dynamics of a faster, ubiquitous Internet, a social media landscape defined by apps built on top of a few key services, and , the next five years will see shifts in certain areas of media - like television and radio - that will be as dramatic as those seen in print over the past decade.The Internet has already enabled anyone to be a publisher.But now, with Internet-connected television, anyone is going to be able to gain access to the living room.Blip.tv, a company that bet on this trend early, recentlythat its shows - which air solely online and on concted devices - are being viewed nearly 100 million times per month -- or, put another way, 10% as much as what's viewed on ABC, NBC, and FOX combined.And while this trend was previously relegated to early adopters and startup set-top box makers likeand , recent months have seen the likes of Google jump on board withandrevamp itsoffering.At the same time, so-called "second screen" providers are building a social experience - leveraging Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube - on mobiles and tablets around video content.The result of this trend is going to be the type of broad consumer choice in the realm of video and television that we currently know on the web with printed news.Radio is likely to see a similar shift.Late last year, we saw theconcept unveiled - an idea that will become increasingly close to reality with expanded 4G coverage.Already, we've seen Ford make a play in this arena, letting you . While the transformation in radio might not come as soon as that in TV, it's equally inevitable, and there are hundreds of content providers - from Pandora to Last.fm to BlogTalkRadio - ready to unseat the status quo.Beyond Social MediaThe connected devices theme extends beyond the media though -- everything fromtothat sync with your calendar -- is quickly becoming the reality.We're also starting to see behavioral shifts take place as a result of this trend, as evident with the growing acceptance of location sharing apps and even apps that share your credit card purchases. Invariably, there will be products, people, and trends that further dictate where the next five years of social media take us.But the overarching themes of connectivity, portable identity, and the continued democratization of media will drive much of it, making the social media landscape we inhabit five years from now a much expanded but in fact markedly similar one to that we know today.Series supported by IDGIn honor of Mashable's five-year anniversary, thisis supported by . Social media is calling all marketers. Among all U.S. companies, a recent report said 87% have a social presence. As Facebook passes 500 million users and Foursquare surpasses 1.3 million users, it is clear social media is here to stay. Matt York, President of IDG's Strategic Marketing Services explains why now is the time for marketers to conduct social experiments. Read more .More Social Media Resources from Mashable:- - - - - Chus Soler and Enrico Arghentini featuring Ayesha, Daz Stay, Michael Praetorius (Manfred Cordes) , Isobel Campbell music , Stephan Smith , A-Drive, Travis Moonchild Haddix, Johnny Guitar Watson and Watsonian Institute music , Bo da , Nurettin Colak, Riot 303 vs. Observer, Renni Beema, Scarletron , Farryl Purkiss , Mai Satoda with Fujioka Fujimaki, Ferdy and Edwin Mulder, Beat Service Solex, Kris Menace presents Stars on 33 music , L Plates, Noosa Head
The Next 5 Years in Social Media
In honor of Mashable's five-year anniversary, thisis supported by IDG. Matt York, President of IDG's Strategic Marketing Services explains why now is the time for marketers to conduct social experiments. Read more .Over the , social media has evolved from a handful of communities that existed solely in a web browser to a multi-billion dollar industry that's quickly expanding to mobile devices, driving major changes in content consumption habits and providing users with an identity and social graph that follows them across the web.With that framework in place, the next five years are going to see even more dramatic change.Fueled by advancements in underlying technology - the wires, wireless networks and hardware that make social media possible - a world where everything is connected awaits us.The result will be both significant shifts in our everyday lives and a changing of the guard in several industries that are only now starting to feel the impact of social media.The TechnologyThe growth of social media in the past five years was fueled not just by innovation from Internet entrepreneurs and developers, but by several key advancements behind the scenes.The rise of- which I called theof the past decade - would not have been possible without the wide availability of broadband and the advent of Flash 7.Similarly, the rapid rise of mobile apps in the last few years would not have been possible without major advances in smartphone capabilities (jump started by ) and higher speed mobile networks.Jumping ahead to today, consider for a moment that the first smartphone to run on 4G (the successor to 3G mobile broad and capable of significantly faster mobile broadband speeds) - the- hit the U.S. only this past June.Sprint's 4G network, however, only covers about 40 million people.Similarly, wireless broadband ISP Clearwirein May that its network - which is also used to offer service to Sprint, Verizon, and Time Warner cable subscribers - only reaches 41 million people.At the same time, mobile broadband subscriptions are expected to surpass 1 billion worldwide by 2013.Add to that ain wireline broadband that will give 90% of homes in the U.S. the option to have 50 mbps downstream broadband within the next few years, and the bottom line becomes clear: There's currently an enormous supply and demand gap to be filled, and when that happens, it will enable a whole new wave of social media innovation.The Strong Get StrongerWhile the relatively short history of social media dictates that a new site emerges as the "home of you and your friends" every few years (, then , then , for example), it seems unlikely we'll see the current pantheon of social media services - Facebook, , and YouTube - fall from prominence in the next five years.Facebook has a farand more diverse demographics than any social network before it, and is becoming a de facto login service around the web.YouTube continues to maintain an enormous lead in online video viewership and through aggressive deal-making, looks likely to fend off competition from upstarts with deeper pro-content libraries.Twitter has also become a formidable force with a 300,000+ app ecosystem and afor virtually every media company large and small.Most new outfits we see today -- whether working to , make reading more social, or makea shared experience - are thinking about how to leverage the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as opposed to how to build the next mega social network.The Next Frontiers for Social MediaGiven the dynamics of a faster, ubiquitous Internet, a social media landscape defined by apps built on top of a few key services, and , the next five years will see shifts in certain areas of media - like television and radio - that will be as dramatic as those seen in print over the past decade.The Internet has already enabled anyone to be a publisher.But now, with Internet-connected television, anyone is going to be able to gain access to the living room.Blip.tv, a company that bet on this trend early, recentlythat its shows - which air solely online and on concted devices - are being viewed nearly 100 million times per month -- or, put another way, 10% as much as what's viewed on ABC, NBC, and FOX combined.And while this trend was previously relegated to early adopters and startup set-top box makers likeand , recent months have seen the likes of Google jump on board withandrevamp itsoffering.At the same time, so-called "second screen" providers are building a social experience - leveraging Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube - on mobiles and tablets around video content.The result of this trend is going to be the type of broad consumer choice in the realm of video and television that we currently know on the web with printed news.Radio is likely to see a similar shift.Late last year, we saw theconcept unveiled - an idea that will become increasingly close to reality with expanded 4G coverage.Already, we've seen Ford make a play in this arena, letting you . While the transformation in radio might not come as soon as that in TV, it's equally inevitable, and there are hundreds of content providers - from Pandora to Last.fm to BlogTalkRadio - ready to unseat the status quo.Beyond Social MediaThe connected devices theme extends beyond the media though -- everything fromtothat sync with your calendar -- is quickly becoming the reality.We're also starting to see behavioral shifts take place as a result of this trend, as evident with the growing acceptance of location sharing apps and even apps that share your credit card purchases. Invariably, there will be products, people, and trends that further dictate where the next five years of social media take us.But the overarching themes of connectivity, portable identity, and the continued democratization of media will drive much of it, making the social media landscape we inhabit five years from now a much expanded but in fact markedly similar one to that we know today.Series supported by IDGIn honor of Mashable's five-year anniversary, thisis supported by . Social media is calling all marketers. Among all U.S. companies, a recent report said 87% have a social presence. As Facebook passes 500 million users and Foursquare surpasses 1.3 million users, it is clear social media is here to stay. Matt York, President of IDG's Strategic Marketing Services explains why now is the time for marketers to conduct social experiments. Read more .More Social Media Resources from Mashable:- - - - - Chus Soler and Enrico Arghentini featuring Ayesha, Daz Stay, Michael Praetorius (Manfred Cordes) , Isobel Campbell music , Stephan Smith , A-Drive, Travis Moonchild Haddix, Johnny Guitar Watson and Watsonian Institute music , Bo da , Nurettin Colak, Riot 303 vs. Observer, Renni Beema, Scarletron , Farryl Purkiss , Mai Satoda with Fujioka Fujimaki, Ferdy and Edwin Mulder, Beat Service Solex, Kris Menace presents Stars on 33 music , L Plates, Noosa Head