As we look towards the future, the trends in social media will continue to shape how we, as information professionals, interact and connect with our stakeholders, colleagues and users. Hutchinson (2021) lists six of the key trends likely to influence how we effectively utilise social media in our own information organisation. These include:
- an older population now employing social media and emerging technology to discover and connect with other users and organisations online
- the rise of TikTok and similar video sharing applications such as YouTube where the videos are created to grab attention when users attention spans are decreasing
- social commerce and online shopping increasing to meet the demand of more consumers spurning the traditional in-person shopping experiences
- the demand for AR/VR products to be utilised for learning; and
- social connection and conversations with more users looking to connect with organisations and individuals from across the world.
When we look back at how far social media has come in just the last two decades, it seems a little hard to believe that our future as information professionals will depend on these key trends. I was surprised to learn that TikTok has only been available since August 2018, but it has become one of the most dominant social media applications in the United States because it combines the best parts of other social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube in easy to find communities (Jerasa & Baffone, 2021). Within these TikTok communities, there is BookTok, in which book lovers can connect with others around the world to share their favourite stories, authors and quotes. This platform offers users the ability to reimagine the traditional book clubs, post book reviews with discussion boards, and engage their creative side to post videos describing book contents using TikTok aesthetics (Jerasa & Baffone, 2021).
Now, I do have to admit that I did somewhat get sucked down the TikTok video rabbit-hole when I was looking at which libraries currently utilised TikTok, and I found some wonderful, funny and informative hashtags. When looking at where to start in creating your new TikTok videos, Jensen (2020) lists some best practice ideas in her blog post which includes: just have fun, be authentic, reply to comments, and give yourself permission to be silly. While some social media applications rise quickly before fading into obscurity, it has been seen that the short videos TikTok employs which promote authenticity and are able to create a sense of community among its followers will continue to be a key trend in library social media use.
Hutchinson, A. (2021, February 17). The top 6 social media trends of 2021. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-top-6-social-media-trends-of-2021-infographic/595171
Jensen, K. (2020, August 11). What makes these librarians TikTok?. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=What-Makes-These-Librarians-TikTok-teachers-school-social-media
Jerasa, S. & Boffone, T. (2021). BookTok 101: TikTok, digital literacies, and out-of-school reading practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 65(3), 219-226. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1199