Digital media landscape becoming a multiverse phenomenon, Mindshare research
The pandemic has ushered in the era of the multiverse media – a world where media is fragmenting, digital culture is evolving and platforms are proliferating.
It is a world where services and content arise to meet the specific and niche requirements of individuals. In a world where identity has become more closely linked with the virtual, how you identify through your choice in content and media services has become more important.
People want more in-depth experiences and niche online communities where they can express themselves and identify with other like-minded people and this is accelerating the fragmentation of digital media.
From KFC releasing a gaming console and OnlyFans streaming fashion designers’ shows to Twitter facilitating bitcoin payments and brands getting into the digital token action known as NFT (non-fungible token), digital worlds continue to merge, collide, integrate and redefine themselves to engage with consumers in new ways.
Streaming services are entering more niche markets. Consumers can choose to stick to mainstream platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon and the breadth they offer or they can go deep in services like Screambox and Shudder… if horror is your thing of course.
People have used digital media to find new communities when in-person social interaction has been extremely limited, which is one of the reasons for the seemingly overnight success of the audio-only platform Clubhouse. The app provides a space for small, niche communities to express themselves and talk about passion topics and connect with one another. Mindshare’s research reveals that 42% of global consumers enjoy engaging with like-minded communities in more exclusive and private platforms.
The bigger social platforms are racing to develop the new features which are the speciality of these surging new, niche social platforms. Following Clubhouse’s success, social media giants like Facebook have developed their own audio-only platforms. Hoping to retain their audiences and keep them inside their growing digital ecosystems.
As people seek diverse experiences and new ways to identify and express their identity online, we have seen 41% of consumers joining a new social media platform. Inclusion is important, 50% of global consumers agree that media platforms and content need to be more inclusive of unrepresented communities in our society. Fast-paced technology brings opportunities to innovate and connect deeper with consumers from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
The digital world is continuing its fragmentation…the multiverse of media is still expanding.
