4 Digital Trends to Expect in 2023

As the first month of 2023 comes to an end, businesses and people alike have made progress towards their goals. Whether you had a successful January marketing campaign or completed your fifth week at the gym, there’s plenty of reasons to feel accomplished. But as a marketer, how do we gage this success towards the rest of the year? What is there to expect in this ever-changing digital world?

Never fear! For we have all the research you need to make 2023 your year!

Here are four digital trends we’ve observed that will help you prepare for what’s to come next.

 

Lights, Camera, No More Videos!

With TikTok setting the bar for other digital platforms, there was a major priority shift towards video in 2022. Even the once photo-focused Instagram went full throttle on reels. But just 3 weeks ago, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri admitted that they may have got a little too excited last year.

“I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos.”

While videos tend to drive the overall engagement, Mosseri’s goal is to find a balance in the platform. He wants to stick to its roots.

“We definitely have a number of photographers who have been upset. I want to be clear: though we are leaning into video, we still value photos. Photos will always be a part of Instagram.”

However, platforms like Instagram aren’t planning on straying away from video. So the goal for 2023 is to capitalize on their unique features that are already engaging their audience.

 

It’s Time to Stand Out

Even with Instagram’s video content cleanse, the success of short-form videos isn’t going away anytime soon. So digital platforms are looking to highlight their key differentiators.

For example, family/friend updates have always been Facebook’s bread and butter.

It’s always been the go-to place to hear the big news from your loved ones. While most of their engagement occurs in their DMs, Facebook may try to capitalize on these key updates in 2023. They’ve already introduced a ‘Home’ and ‘Feeds’ tab back in July to highlight recent family posts in a separate news feed.

Snapchat, likewise, is looking to enhance the feature that always made it shine – augmented reality.

While it remains the market leader in most respects for AR, Snapchat could beat out its rivals in the development of AR glasses. Despite having fewer resources, it’s been testing its AR-enabled Spectacles with developers for some time now and could lead the way for other platforms.

Meanwhile, digital platforms are planning to lead the way for consumers.

 

AI-Recommended Content

It’s no secret that TikTok changed the script for how we share and discover content. According to Entrepreneur:

The TikTok algorithm, specifically the “For You Page” (FYP) feed, has changed the game for social networks propelling entertainment and discovery to the forefront.”

The benefit of being able to have content recommended to you based on your interests has influenced other platforms. Thus, AI-recommended content is expected to be more prevalent in 2023.

This has already jumpstarted last year with the bombardment of recommended reels on Instagram. Now Facebook and other platforms are taking this push into consideration, but not as aggressively.

While Facebook is expected to highlight friends and family updates, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it clear they would also double down on AI-recommended content by the end of 2023. Thus, why he created both a “Home” and Feeds section—to promote both simultaneously.

Aside from maximizing user engagement, the goal is to provide more exposure for creators looking to have their posts seen by people outside of their own audience.

However, it seems Facebook has an ulterior motive for optimizing its user experience.

 

A Push for the Metaverse

Meta, aka Facebook, is doing anything and everything to promote its metaverse shift in 2023.

In order to spark further interest on its three-dimensional virtual environment, Meta is planning to underline the development of both its VR and AR-related projects.

One way is through the ability to share posts from its current VR app Horizon Worlds, a social world-building playground. This gives Meta the opportunity to expose people to a VR experience they weren’t aware of.

In competition with Snapchat, Meta is also in the development of AR glasses in an attempt to further draw people to its virtual world. While the projected release isn’t until 2024, Meta may still try to push its AR glasses to regain momentum for its next-gen promotion.

Regardless, expect to see Facebook and Instagram take the word “digital” to a whole new level this year.

Whether your brand is looking to immerse itself virtually or be aware of upcoming changes, we hope these trends help solidify your digital strategy for the rest of the year.

 

Navigating everything the digital world has to offer can be intimidating. At Access To Media, we have your back. Not sure where to begin? Contact us today and we’ll help you get started.