Keeping up with the most recent social media trends is a full-time job. What was popular last week may be old news today, and what was non-existent just a few months ago could be the next big thing.

Even with the constant change taking place in the social media zeitgeist, we are able to make predictions for the very near future based on the trends of today. What are those trends, exactly? Here are 6 hot social media trends that you may not know about yet.

The Demise of Text

As wearable devices grow in popularity and screens shrink, the idea of reading on your device will quickly become a thing of the past. Any amount of text beyond a short tweet will be deemed unnecessary and “too much work” to read. Text will be replaced by images, audio and most stunningly, short HD videos.

This change over from text to audio/visual imagery is already taking place. Apps like Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat have grown in popularity while users have moved away from text based social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The point is, if you can’t get your point across in an image or short video, you may not get your point across at all.

If you can’t get your point across in an image or short video, you may not get your point across at all.

The Desire for Anonymity

With recent internet privacy breaches making headlines, the desire to protect our privacy online is reaching new levels. Rather than battling for attention on Facebook, individuals are searching for a way to join the conversation online without opening up their personal lives to the world. For the first time since the invention of social media, users have begun to act less “social” and are keeping their accounts much more private.

This change in attitudes was initially sparked the old-fashion way: Teenagers wanted to avoid their parents. Facebook and Twitter were cool until Mom, Dad, and even Grandma logged on. Suddenly having your life displayed online was no longer ideal. Now that digital privacy has reemerged as a top priority, users are seeking out tools to keep their social circles small and their identities hidden amongst the crowd.

Marketing in Real Time

It’s been years since marketing worked on the marketer’s schedule. The idea of putting a commercial on during a certain show, at a certain time and expecting a certain reaction is now beyond antiquated. DVRs were only the beginning. Now digital marketing must be relevant to the targets schedule, and that means happening in real time.

Marketing will not only be in real time, but change based on your location

As the shift to mobile and wearables continues, marketing will not only be in real time, but change based on your location. The ads you receive will not only reflect the information in your google searches, it will also reflect where you are, what time it is and even who you’re with. Sounds terrifying? If privacy is your top concern, it is. If getting a few bucks off of a pizza for two at 12:30 on Friday afternoon while looking for a place to have lunch with your girlfriend sounds like a great deal, the future is now.

The Increasing Cost of Followers

The free ride of social media marketing is over. With Twitter’s IPO and the changes to Facebook’s algorithm buying marketing posts, the idea that a marketer could have his or her message displayed to millions for free is long gone. For the last few years paid ads have been a way to quickly reach your target audience on social media with little effort. Now they may be the only way to reach them at all.

This means that many brands are going to be forced to reshuffle their marketing budgets, putting more funds towards social media platforms than ever before. It also means that brands are going to be looking for new, less expensive, ways to interact with their audiences.

The Rise of Google Plus

To those outside of the digital marketing community, Google Plus exists, but no one actually uses it. The only impact that Google Plus has had on their lives is a failed YouTube integration experiment that the company quickly took back. However, for brands that have struggled to win againstGoogle’s ever changing search algorithm, Google Plus is the chance that they’ve been waiting for.

Gaining attention on Google Plus is the new gateway to the coveted front page spot in Google search

Gaining attention on Google Plus is the new gateway to the coveted front page spot in Google search. Look for brands to begin offering their best deals and contests on Google Plus while shying away from the “pay to play” models of other social media.

Brands are Becoming More Human

As social media and technology evolve, brands and organizations are shedding their corporate and perfectly-manicured images and attempting to become more personable, friendly and “human”. The marketing speak of the past 60 years is gone. Marketers are  attempting to speak our language.

As organizations shed their corporate cover, having a sense humor has become more important than ever. Where “marketing speak” will fail to connect to audiences, clever jokes and silly videos will. Laughter has become the ice-breaker that many brands hope will lead to trust. Will they be laughing their way to the bank?

Know of other social media trends to watch out for? Let us know in the comments.