We’re back at it for the new year, and clearly, not the only ones. Google is rarin’ to pull ahead in the social world, and hackers are already champing at the private bits. Without further ado, here’s what we found to be the biggest news, so you may comfortably remain snuggled under a rock.
Ringing in 2014 with Tweets
Twitter put together an interactive visualization charting the spread of “Happy New Year” messages around the globe. Take a peek at the various languages’ frequencies over time and how they were shared across the world, all on this handy map and dandy graph.
Google Minus
Did Google miss the mark? So thinks Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt, when it came to social media. Schmidt admits that being late for the rise of social media and underestimating competitors such as Facebook were the biggest mistakes he made at Google. The search engine giant will be now focusing on growing its Google+ user base and expanding its mobile presence. Schmidt says, “The trend has been that mobile was winning. It’s now won.” Aw, don’t beat yourself up, Googs.
Disclosing Snapchatter Digits
Phone numbers of 4.6M Snapchat users have been posted to a site called SnapchatDB.info, where anyone can download the list for free. The data was extracted using a security exploit, and the vigilante hackers claim their purpose was to push Snapchat to beef up security efforts. We think they heard loud and clear.
Community Media as a Megaphone
The social sphere has become a huge medium of influence on the food industry. This NYTimes article discusses how brands are increasingly capitulating on the demands of [loud, especially insistent] consumers. “What has clearly changed is some of the channels of communications, which wasn’t a factor in the past like it is today. We’ve had to adapt,” said David Farmer of Chick-fil-A. The fast-food chain had recently invited a blogger concerned about the company’s ingredients to its headquarters. Even more recently, Mars was pressured by an online petition into changing at least one food dye to a natural ingredient in one of its candy products. More power to the people!
Social Media Outlook
‘Tis the season to be declaring marketing trends. But we trust Mashable, so get familiar with these three social media trends for 2014. Social media jobs are skyrocketing, brands are expanding their strategy beyond Facebook (eh hem, G+), and 2013’s biggest social media successes are turning into bigger trends this year (a la Oreo at the Superbowl). The brands that are going to succeed are those who embrace connections between real-world events and their social media platforms.
Make it your resolution to check back here each week. And recycle more.
