The social web is going in two seemingly opposite directions. Going one way is private messaging where people connect with each other in one-to-one interactions on platforms like WeChat and Facebook Messenger. In the other direction we have video broadcasting platforms like Periscope and Meerkat that allow people to easily share live video of what is happening in the here and now. Somewhere in the middle of those two directions lie our social mainstays: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and company.

Marketers for the most part have those “mainstays” figured out to a certain degree. Those other areas are still a challenge. Private messaging is a challenge because it flies in the face the idea of reaching many people. It’s a one-to-one approach to marketing. Video broadcasting, on the other hand, could potentially reach many people, and it looks like it may be here to stay.