Originally posted on Gigaom:
As we lay 2014 to rest, we're topping our hats to some of the social media crazes that came along with it. Messaging. Anonymity. Ephemerality. Yo (whatever that was). At the same time, we're stepping into a whole new year, which means a brand new bunch of communication trends. Here's some of the trends, rising stars, and falling figures you can expect to see:
1) Chat as a platform
Some of the biggest social networking companies are turning their messaging applications into portals for other purposes. They're following in the wake of China's hugely successful WeChat app, which people use to flag cabs, manage their mortgage, send gifts, purchase goods, and play games.
Western companies are betting that Americans can be convinced to do the same. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently said, "We believe that messaging is one of the few things that people actually do more than social networking." If that level of...
