Top 5 Digital Trends of 2024

Did you know that Merriam-Webster’s Word for 2023 was Authentic? That definitely aligns with a lot of our Top Trends predictions from last year.

We’ve been saying it for years, authenticity is at the heart of great CX. Last year also showcased “efficient, boundless personalization” from technology. But what about 2024?

We’ll see a continued focus on authenticity and personalization, but with a broader focus. Think expanded personalization – “me first and then us, my chosen micro-society”. In 2024 our industry is going to see a deeper exploration into simplicity, creativity, and forming trust.

2022 and 2023 illustrated a healthy return for traditional communities (forums or walled gardens), and Discord is becoming “norm” for businesses, studios, and organizations.

Social Media and Traditional Community should be equal participants in a compelling audience strategy. The former amplifies and caters to casual audiences. The latter invites loyalty, depth, and retention.

TikTok is one of the few platforms to prioritize and encourage niche content types through the FYP algorithm, allowing for personalization to align with community development. Followers become mutuals, and mutuals enjoy each other’s niche shops, selling and buying their favorite random items. That’s right… TikTok allows users to curate their favorite items and sell them for a kickback. How marketers and businesses creatively leverage this process will be interesting to watch this year.

Personalization is the first step to authenticity, the second is a sense of welcome, a safe space to interact with like-minded people. And when social media toxicity is expected, being amongst like-minded people is increasingly more important to people.

Somewhere around 2007, we saw a massive shift from dynamic websites in favor of social media, after all... that’s where the party was, right?

In 2024, the pendulum is swinging the other way. For creators, it’s about normalizing the funnel driving followers to controlled, monetized, and intimate environments like Instagram subscriptions, Substack, or Patreon. For brands, it’s a reinvestment in dynamic website experiences, driving a stronger focus on an enjoyable user experience. People want personalized and specialized experiences, and brands don’t want limitations.

With growing AI, privacy laws, and access limitations to data, there is an enticing path to craft something special that encourages a deeper level of investment (emotionally and financially) from followers.

Ask yourself, when you need support troubleshooting something, do you go to the product’s helpdesk? Or are you finding yourself watching a video from a random content creator?

Google created vast opportunities by including social media content within web search results (and typically at the top of the search page too). Google owns and loves YouTube, so there’s a lot of support to help amplify YouTube content.

Visual demonstration is more convenient than reading instructions; and video reviews, actively showcasing product use or helpful tips by a peer or trusted influencer. You’ve got information, versatility, and trust.

Which brings us to content creators. The kids love ‘em! Content creators are outpacing and outperforming many brands through access, approach, and digestible platforms – and they’re always hungry for more content to generate videos around.

In the coming year we’ll see brands invest in social media SEO more accessible and digestible troubleshooting content in partnership with creators, in a more direct way (to own the data, encourage a funnel, and have a hand in the narrative).

AI is exciting. It’s topical. It will enhance 2024 with a hyper-focus on CX and business.

Features will continue to drive integration of AI into the customer journey, from voice and localized accents to avatars and virtual support vehicles, to predictive customer information (likes, tone, behaviors, needs). Customer Support teams paired with upcoming AI tech will be able to virtually shape-shift while predicting the desired customer experience fitted to each individual customer.

We’re already seeing a greater demand in AI-supported content “transcreation” (think localization and marketing/social/community initiatives), as well as tremendous efficiencies within the development of impactful creative content. This creates greater possibilities, data-driven effectiveness, less time and burden. But to achieve success, AI requires lots of effective prompts, lots of data, and continued training.

Prompt writing will become a fine art. Knowing how to get the most out of AI with the least lost time. And even so, the spotlight will continue to focus on data ownership, copyright laws, privacy, artists, misinformation, ethics, etc. Consent and approval to AI scraping or collection is a strong potential. After all, while curious users flock to AI tools, what are they inadvertently giving up to those tools? Company info? Access to personal data? When AI tools are used, they’re also being trained with new information.

We’ll see an evolution in CX with the support roles. AI requires training - new, relevant, updated information, and a system of checks and balances. Tiktok has seen how their AI moderation program can be abused (trolls are resourceful in crowdsourcing methods). For ModSquad’s entirety, we’ve been working with certain platforms to train their AI, handle errors, and QA check results. We’re going to see an expansion in content training across all verticals.

The best AI solutions will leave room for spontaneous human interaction, flashes of genius, and heartfelt care.

“Expanded personalization” is more than targeted problem-solving or curated communities, it’s also content that is compelling and creates an emotional response. Nostalgia has always helped drive content that resonates. It’s not the trend itself – it’s the specific investment in content from the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s. …And so celebrates the “Ducktale Generation” (referring to Gen X and late Millennials).

Millennials moved into more tenured roles and now have the buying power in their households. And, they follow cues from their predecessors, Generation X, aka the first “latchkey generation”, who were left to their own devices with television, toys, and imagination. There’s a deep love for the wild, weird, colorful chaos within this age of nostalgiacore (as Bandit repeats with reverence and awe to his daughters in Bluey, “It was the 80s, man, there were no helmets! It was a wild place.”)

Combined, Xennials are seeing throwbacks to pop culture marketed and licensed for their children (and grandchildren) and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Here are just a few examples:

This trend has been creeping up over the last few years, and it will continue to do so. The content is easy to engage, easy to celebrate, and there is a lot to work with (bring on homages to the 00’s teen romcoms, please).

It’s 2024! Hear hear to the coming year! May it bring unexpected (but welcome) twists and turns. May AI grow in a way that it doesn’t distract from the power of spontaneity. May human support and human creativity find new levels to connect people. And may people continue to find what they need in each other…. After all, for us, it’s always been about community.