Top Social Media Trends of 2017 [Infographic]

We're nearly a third of the way through 2017 (!) and so now is a good time to take a look at what are shaping up to be the top social media trends this year.Less than a decade ago few people (save, perhaps, Mark Zuckerberg) could have predicted that social media platforms would become the kinds of multi-billion dollar businesses that today captivate so many of our collective waking hours.I mean, when was the last time you went a day without looking at YouTube or Facebook or Instagram or Twitter or Snapchat? Today, more than 83 percent of marketers say they use social media platforms to increase exposure to their brands and that stat shows no signs of decreasing any time soon. Here are 8 social media trends to keep an eye out this year. There's a good chance at least one of them will play an increasing role in your marketing efforts:

1. More live-streaming video. Now Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and, of course YouTube allow people to capture and share live events in real time.
2. The rise of chatbots. Chatbots aren't just for entertainment. They're being used to respond to customers.
3. An increase in expiring social content. Snapchat's latest rival is Instagram Stories.
4. The merging of social media platforms. In recent years, Facebook acquired Instagram and WhatsApp (among others) and just last year Microsoft bought LinkedIn. Who do you think might scoop up Duolingo or Musical.ly?
5. Harder acquisition of organic social traffic. Boo: That's all we have to say about this one.
6. More virtual reality and augmented reality. Anyone who paid attention to Facebook's F8 this week won't be surprised to hear this.
7. More personalized content. Relevant content helps consumers recall brands which can also increase conversions.
8. Increased usage of social influencers.   As people lose interest in paid advertising, influencer marketing shows no signs of slowing down.

This infographic includes lots of details about each of those 8 trends, and comes from CJG Digital Marketing.