Forecasting Our Future: Student Connections via Social Media

Youth are known to be the earliest adopters of the latest social media applications. This also means they are exiting older communications tools first. Recently I produced a dynamic webinar on studentaffairs.com with Jason Meriwether on this very topic.

Our conversation addressed how to be a social media strategist in higher education with current tools, but also a social forecaster with an eye for future impact. As you look to connect with hopeful and current college students, this session explained current popular digital tools, as well as new trending applications to explore. Further, we discussed techniques for developing strategies to shape and implement your digital influence in the next academic year - even reaching into the future class of 2020. Our goal was to empower social media managers with tools to assess and analyze their current digital presence. 

In this post you can view a teaser of our conversation, predictions for 2016, as well as resources for any educator exploring social communication tools. The full webinar and slides can be purchased (here). 

Josie & Jason's Predictions for the 2o16

• Visual content will rule every application
• One streaming video app with real time interaction will increase in adoption/popularity (Periscope vs. StreamUp  vs. more to come)
• Any new app released will infuse trending news content
• More private sharing options within open social media applications, mimicking Snapchat
• Increase of social media engagement research and scholarship in education
• University digital education and leadership programs
• Student Affairs master's program infusion of  NASPA/ACPA tech competency 

What are your predictions? How can we better forecast the trends of high school students to better reach them before college begins?

Resources

In this section you will find higher education social media bloggers, books and websites that will serve you well in 2016.

Bloggers

• Kristin Abell: savedbyabell.com
• Josie Ahlquist: josieahlquist.com
• Paul Gordon Brown: paulgordonbrown.com
• Ed Cabellon: edcabellon.com
• Liz Gross: lizgross.net
• Rey Junco: reyjunco.com
• Jason Meriwether: jasonlmeriwether.com
• Laura Pasquini: techknowtools.wordpress.com
• Erik Qualman: socialnomics.net
• Eric Stoller: ericstoller.com
• Joe Sabado: joesabado.com

Books

• What Happens in College Stays on YouTube, Erik Qualman
• It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Dana boyd
• Engaging Students Through Social Media, Rey Junco

Websites

• ACPA Digital Task Force Blog: digitaltaskforce.myacpa.org
• Common Sense Media: commonsensemedia.org
• EdSurge: edsurge.com
• EdTechMagazine: edtechmagazine.com/higher
• Educause: educause.edu
• Journal of Computer Mediated-Communication: bit.ly/Computer-Medicated-Communication
• Journal of Technology in Student Affairs: studentaffairs.com/ejournal/
• NASPA Technology Knowledge Community: naspa.org/constituent-groups/kcs/technology
• Pew Internet Project: pewinternet.org
• Social Media Week: socialmediaweek.org
• Social Media Club: socialmediaclub.org/
• Social Media Collective: socialmediacollective.org/
• Social Media & Society: socialmediaandsociety.com
• Wired Campus: chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus

Other resources to add to this list? Please add them in the comments below!

Follow me on twitter and on my website at www.josieahlquist.com