Since the turn of the millennia, social media has come onto the scene in a big way. Myspace, Friendster, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat etc. It seems like every couple of years, a new app comes along that takes Silicon Valley by storm. Social media is immensely popular right now, but I don’t believe the current medium has a high probability of long term success. It'll still be around in 10 years but it will have morphed into a completely different animal by then. If you thought 2007-2017 was a big jump, the leap from 2017 to 2027 will be astronomical for a couple of reasons.
1) The single greatest benefit social media has is its consistent stream of new content. People want to share what they’ve been up to and we are in constant search for fresh information. This intersection of curiosity and the necessity for new is their main driving force. In 10 years an app will come along that capitalizes on this.
2) Social media gives us something much more powerful than connection and friendship. It provides the illusion of engagement and interaction. It makes us feel like we’re connecting with others. This app that comes along will be the ultimate empathy machine which provides artificial emotions based off of real experiences. In 2017, we are passively watching each other’s videos and digesting each other’s “stories.” In 2027, we'll actually be living them.
In 10 years the social media app on pace to dominate will be called Episodes. Episodes will take the idea of Facebook live and Snapchat, and make it a much more immersive experience. This app will have a marquee feature which allows it to reign supreme against their competitors. That feature will be called N.I’s (Narrative Immersions) and will allow you to record experiences from your POV and share them with the world. Every user on your friends list will be able to download your experience and live through it using their VR headset.
Did you get a promotion at your job where everyone congratulated you afterwards? Upload it to Episodes and let others indulge in your success. Did you have a crazy snowball fight with your kids? Upload it to Episodes and your friends will be able to feel that heartwarming moment when your 3-year-old daughter refuses to throw a snowball back because she doesn’t want to “hurt her daddy.” Instead of reading a post about how great someone felt after they said “I do” on their wedding day, you can be transported to the eyes of the groom and look into the bride’s eyes in real time. Soaking up every moment.
If you thought Instagram and Snapchat were lucrative business opportunities for celebrities, Episodes will make that revenue seem like chump change. With the explosion of celebrity culture, obsessive fans are starving for new content from their idols. They need to know what it feels like to have their life and Episodes gives them the opportunity. Top entertainers will capitalize off of this app and make tons of money off of selling their narratives. What does it feel like to perform in front of a sellout crowd and have a packed stadium chanting your name? Find out for just $20 a pop.
The cliché has always been "You can't understand someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes." Episodes gives us the opportunity to walk in everyone else’s shoes except our own. If you think that’s a trap you’d never fall under, I’d like you to consider this: is scrolling through someone’s Facebook or Instagram profile really all that different? Just cause things are progressing doesn’t mean they’re automatically improving. The future seems brighter but for all the wrong reasons.
