It is undeniable that social media has been all the rage of the 20th century, and it some cases, has engulfed the minds of our society. New social media platforms are being created and used for all types of things from social connection, art, and even presidential elections, which we've seen recently, especially with Twitter. These new advances in the virtual world have been increasing so rapidly. So what does that mean for our cyber future?

Mary Catherine Wellons, a CNBC journalist, explains that the numbers give us a good idea of what the future holds. She reported that, "Today there are 1.3 billion active Facebook users, with 82 percent of them coming from outside the U.S. and Canada. Twitter boasts 270 million active users that send 500 million tweets per day. And each day, 4 billion videos are viewed on YouTube (that's 46,296 per second) and 60 million photos are uploaded on Instagram." Those numbers have since risen even higher, predicted that social media is not slowing down anytime soon.

However, some disagree. In a Social Media Today article by Starr Knight, she mentions how, "Looking at findings from various companies, it seems the Facebook is on the decline. It has been suggested that around 34% of Facebook users say the time they spend on the site has decreased over the past year with only 3% saying they will spend more time on the site in the coming year." Although this may be a true statistic, Facebook is one of the oldest social media platforms, and much attention has been shifted elsewhere in the past decade.

According to DMR, Twitter has a staggering 1.3 billion registered users. This growth is almost unfathomable compared to Twitter's launch, which only attracted about 16,000 registered members, according to Quora. So although Facebook may be on a decline, other platforms may only now be on the rise. We've seen this growth in Twitter popularity in many ways, including celebrity Twitter fights, like the heated Taylor Swift and Kanye West debate over her granting permission to include her in his song "Famous":

And this isn't the only beef in this past year. Even our presidential candidates have duked it out via Twitter:

So this should give us a pretty good understanding of the direction social media is heading in. Pop culture and even politics are being consumed by these platforms, and it may not be a bad thing. The Pew Research Center explained how in Obama's 2012 campaign, he registered to millennial voters much more effectively than Romney did by stating how he, "posted nearly four times as much content as the Romney campaign and was active on nearly twice as many platforms."

This brings up one of my predictions for social media in the next ten years. I believe that some social media platforms will rise to the top, while others will fall to the bottom. It all comes down to how innovative each platform can be and how quickly. As for politics, I think social media will become one of the strongest tools, as we have seen in this election, especially with the younger vote.

Now I would like to discuss another prediction I have made in regard to a different subject, the arts. I'm sure most of you reading this are on, or have heard of, Instagram. This platform is a lot different than the others because of its focus on photography and the arts. And its growth is unmatched. According to Jillian D'Onfro, a writer for Business Insider, "Instagram grew its user base to 150 million monthly active users in half the time that it took Twitter and in two years less than Facebook, according to research by the think-tank L2 Intelligence."

So what does this mean for the art of photography and video? Some may argue that social media sites such as Instagram devalue the arts because of users posting "selfies" and pictures of food nonchalantly. However, others have a very different view.

Ben Davis of Art News explains that, "in fact, rather than just being swept along by the stream of images, it may be possible for art—and art history—to add something to understanding the photo-sharing obsession." And I have to agree with this point. Instagram has introduced art to the eyes of people who may not have been interested otherwise. More people are willing to view art at the top of their fingertips, rather than taking the time to visit art museums and galleries. Whether this form of art is as valuable is up to the viewer. But here are some Instagrams that I've found, as an Art Studio minor, pretty inspiring:

So what will this all look like in ten years? I predict even further art advances and angles unimaginable. And the best part is that we all have access to it, and these artists have a digital portfolio to track their growth. However, I still believe in the authenticity of art galleries, live performances, museum exhibits, etc., but I can see digital and tangible art pieces living harmoniously in an intriguing way that could open up many discussions.

Now I must bring up the actual social factor of these social media platforms. One specific platform I want to mention is Snapchat, an image messaging software that has been gaining traction with its creative updates, such as the use of filters and geofilters.

This platform is designed strictly to enhance the social aspects of our society by allowing its users to share personal photos with each other from anywhere in the world.

According to DMR, about 9,000 snaps are sent per second across the world. This is a very new take on social engagement that is only gaining in popularity, based on its 150 million users since its launch in 2011.

This leads me to my prediction for our social culture in the future based on social media. I think this is only going to become a more monumental movement. These social platforms create a way for friends, families, and colleagues all around the globe to communicate in an easy and incredibly quick way. I see a lot more innovative updates in Snapchat's future, and maybe more apps coming to the surface that share a similar social-oriented goal.

In conclusion, I don't see the idea of social media losing any traction anytime soon. Older platforms may be on the decline, but new, bright ideas can always salvage a failing site. I predict that all of these platforms will continue to influence today's society in many ways, including social connections, political engagement, and art advances. In ten years, I picture myself still using all of these social media sites and many more.