I have asked this particular question several times since 1999 and find it interesting how people who have been using social media as long as I have agreed it might be time for people concerned with their image to only use One Social Network.
The Next question is…will the one social network everyone chooses to use be a site currently online or a social network not yet developed? Or, will one of the strongest social networks currently online change to be managed more like a private club?
All are really good questions that online influencers are asked every day. Online Social Networking is here to stay and social media is going to increase. However, the next generation of online social networking is going to have to deal with what is making online social networking untrustworthy for 90% of the internet users today….or at least the internet users have some level of morals.
What’s Next In Social?
Problems and trouble are the biggest issues the number 1 social network, Facebook, is facing.
- Problems like people posting controversial content that lures in the dark side of social media to make outrageous comments in hope to incite emotional outrage that draws attention to their cause.
- Trouble like trolls and stalkers who are not given any deterrents to their mentally deranged behavior are pulling Facebook further into the cesspool full of negativity.
The next social network will have to have filters in place to keep these problems and troubles out.
Will Social Go Private?
The private club format of social networks makes the most sense since it has a built-in clearinghouse that stops problems at the door.
Previously the stigma of anything private online was deemed stagnant and controlling. Now, the general conscious of the online populations is they are no longer going to allow themselves to be subject to unwanted public ridicule. The feeling anything private online built an elitist society has been proven wrong.
Today, the social media environment is ripe for sites like Google+ or LinkedIn, or even Twitter, to have a Private Club level for their platform. The feature of a private club that excites online influencers is once someone has been cleared for membership, or had been given access to the private club, they are open to freely socializing with the membership knowing that everyone else has gone through the same vetting.
Facebook Cancer
Facebooks recent exposure to its deviancy and criminal behavior was like them being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Facebook’s lack of concern for it’s user’s privacy or well-being has the influencers of social media looking for a place to go where they are not stalked or sapped of their value to social networking. This means Facebook will be left to those who are either tolerant of predatory troll’s behavior or are too lazy to move to a social network that offers more safeguards.
For those who value their time and friends they have connected with over the years, the move to another social network should be a no-brainer.
So which one social network will it be?
Google has a chance to move in for the kill.
LinkedIn, who seems to be the first to rattle the changes of offering the sane people of the world a sanctuary away from deviance, could be a contender.
Twitter, even though it has its share of demons, is a far better platform for socializing than Facebook.
Or, will a new player win over the social influencers who are the life blood of social media?
I’ll be watching how this develops from my perch over on G+, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Let me know how I can help.
