The potential of next-generation social media

Traditional social media adopted a business model that mainly relied on advertising revenue. In this model, revenue is generated by mass communication in terms of the number of unique users, and by providing an attractive platform for advertisers by collecting and analyzing user data and providing highly accurate targeted advertising.

On the other hand, there have been frequent problems with personal information leaks and privacy violations, and problems have arisen in which users' trust is shaken. It has also been pointed out that information filtering by algorithms can lead to information bias and echo chamber phenomena*1. To address these issues, the evolution of social media using next-generation technologies is expected.

Next-generation social media will aim to be a more decentralized and transparent platform using advanced technologies such as AI, blockchain, and metaverse. This is expected to protect users' privacy and promote fair information distribution.

The Importance of Next-Generation Social Media

It may not be just a technological advancement. It is even possible that the nature of information in society as a whole, the form of communication, and the mechanism of economic activity may fundamentally change. Here, let us consider its importance from three aspects in particular: information transparency and reliability, privacy protection, and the reconstruction of the ecosystem.

① Information transparency and reliability If social media using blockchain technology can be provided, information transparency and reliability can be increased. Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that records transaction history in a form that cannot be tampered with, and by applying this to the distribution of information, it is possible to suppress the spread of fake news and misinformation. In addition, since the source and authenticity of information can be easily confirmed, the technology and structure allow users to receive information with peace of mind.

② Privacy protection In conventional social media, the collection and use of user data has been a problem, but next-generation social media has the potential to give users more control over their own data. For example, by using blockchain technology, it is possible to decentralize and manage user data and protect privacy. This allows users to understand how their information is being used and even choose whether or not to provide it if necessary.

③ Reconstruction of the ecosystem Next-generation social media will also contribute to the creation of a new economic model. By moving away from the traditional advertising model and introducing a token economy, it will be possible to provide direct rewards for users' activities and contributions. This will allow users to receive compensation for their content and interactions*2, which will motivate them to participate more actively in the platform.

POINT 1

One in two people in their 20s use both browser search and SNS search

▶Source: Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living Values ​​Smartphone Log Data

According to a survey by Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, many people in their 20s use browser search and SNS in parallel. In particular, among users aged 20 to 24, more than 50% use X (formerly Twitter) at the same time as browser search, followed by Instagram.

The age group that supports a country's economy depends on the country's labor force and consumption power, but the age group between 25 and 54 is usually considered the most important. If the generation that currently uses SNS the most becomes the core that supports the economy in the future, it is clear that the importance of SNS will increase even more.

POINT 2

Most of the concerns about SNS are related to personal information. BLOG users are especially concerned!

▶Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications "Survey on the Possibilities of the Realization of the Next-Generation ICT Society" (2011)

Concerns about personal information were compared between the overall population, SNS users, blog users, and X users, and concerns felt in the digital space were highlighted. 80.2% of the total respondents were concerned about "their personal information being leaked," which was the highest concern of all groups.

Managing personal information and protecting privacy on digital platforms are important concerns for many users. These issues are expected to be polarized into those that will expand and those that will be resolved as a result of the fusion of SNS and next-generation technology, so measures on the platform side will continue to be important.

Outlook for the next generation of social media

Next-generation social media will play an important role in the digital society of the future. The fusion of these technologies, such as content generation and customization by AI, data transparency and security by blockchain, and new forms of communication in the metaverse space, is likely to provide users with a safer and more reliable platform.

In this special feature, we will delve into each aspect of next-generation social media in detail, introducing specific examples and technical details. This will allow you to experience the potential of this new technology.

Glossary:

Echo chamber : phenomenon In communities such as SNS where users with similar values ​​and ways of thinking gather, the phenomenon in which opinions similar to your own are the only ones you hear.

Interaction : The response of a system or device to an operation by a user. Refers to the general concept of connecting people and devices through functions.

How AI is used will make or break the results

AI is also being used in social media. For example, Instagram has used AI to improve the user experience, filter spam, and improve services by providing ads tailored to users. Thus, while AI has mainly been used by the platform side up until now, there are now more cases where AI is used to operate SNS on behalf of companies.

It seems that we are entering an era where many companies are using AI to liven up social media. AI can make accurate predictions based on huge amounts of data obtained through machine learning. We are now in an era where generative AI based on large-scale language models (LLM) is commonly used, and it is now possible to make accurate and appropriate predictions about anything.

It is now possible to use AI to increase the resolution of target selection, run advertising campaigns, and provide users with the best content to feature.

However, while it is convenient to simply instruct AI to "write a post about ◯◯" and post the text generated by AI on social media as is, it tends to be a flat post without the uniqueness of the company, and impressions will not increase. When having AI write a post, it is necessary to provide specific information and context.

For example, if you give specific instructions such as "Extract the three phrases or ideas from this article that are most memorable to users, and write a sentence based on them" about the news or product you want to provide, it will output content that is close to the optimal solution, so you can use it as is in your post. In this way, using AI to extract memorable and memorable expressions and ideas from articles and sentences is called "sound bites".

Increase the resolution of data analysis with AI

You can also use external tools to analyze post data (number of views, likes, and comments) on social media such as X and Instagram, and have the data analyzed by an AI-equipped application. You can also output and visualize the data analyzed using AI in the form of graphs and heat maps.

This increases the visibility of trends and characteristics that are difficult to understand from a list of numbers, and the data can be used for higher-resolution analysis and presentations to meetings and companies. In addition, you can have AI analyze how factors such as the number of characters in a post, the number of emojis, and the relevance of the topic affect the effectiveness of the post. You can also make more effective posts based on the results of the analysis.

Furthermore, by having AI analyze the content of current posts, it may be possible to get ideas for creating posts that have not yet been featured but are potentially effective, and gain new followers. Rather than simply using AI as a "tool to automatically generate posts," it may be possible to use it for data analysis and the discovery of new ideas, making social media more effective.

And when companies use AI on social media, they can, for example, answer questions about users' products and discover new ways to use their own products by analyzing user posts. This is probably easy to imagine, for example, in the form of recipes for food variations. Ultimately, this means that AI can even be used in product development.

▶Source: IDC Current state of AI spending in Japan

A survey of eight Asia-Pacific countries predicts that spending on AI will exceed $90 billion in 2027. Although it is inferior to the Americas and EMEA, which were not included in the survey, Japan has the largest AI and IT market size among the eight countries surveyed.

It is believed that "AI spending in Japan will grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 30% from 2022 to 2028, reaching a scale of over 2.5 trillion yen in 2028." The predicted growth of 30% CAGR until 2028 is thought to be due to the expansion of the AI ​​ecosystem as well as policies by the Japanese government to promote the use of AI.

How to deal with the misuse of AI

Social media and AI have a very good relationship, but on the other hand, there are various issues that arise from misuse. For example, in elections, AI posts can be used to automatically spread rumours about opposing candidates, and they can also be used for fraud.

If a bot randomly posts and spreads a rumour such as "SEC Chairman Gary Gensler will start cracking down on Bitcoin," the cryptocurrency market may already react before it is realised that it is a rumour. It is still fresh in our memory that a bot posted an AI-generated image on social media that made it appear as if Taylor Swift was supporting former President Donald Trump, causing a problem.

Businessman Elon Musk claims on every occasion that AI will destroy humanity, and in fact there are concerns that if AI were to start posting on its own, it could lead humanity in the wrong direction or even cause war. In order to prevent such misuse of AI, Musk has been actively lobbying to create a bill to regulate AI, and X is currently creating an AI that patrols AI posts. They are developing analytical AI to prevent the misuse of AI.

What is worrisome is that such AI could also affect healthy advertising and promotional activities that use AI by companies. If the patrol AI determines that something is being misused, the company's advertising and promotional activities will be blocked and the account will be frozen. In order to strike a good balance between these new challenges and regulations, it is urgent to create a bill to regulate AI.

Creating a bill is costly, so for the time being, it is expected that the use of AI on social media will continue to be crowded with good and bad ideas, but we hope for healthy regulations that do not hinder future innovation.

Glossary:​​

Soundbite : Originally, the term "soundbite" refers to a short quote or statement used in a media or news context. In the AI ​​field, it can refer to a short audio clip or a concise summary phrase generated using AI techniques, usually using a combination of speech recognition, speech synthesis, and natural language processing (NLP) techniques.