A predictions article in December? How predictable. Yep, no sense in dwelling on the failures of the past (“We have to start a Periscope channel, ASAP!”) Instead, let’s look to the future.

Andrew Hutchinson published this incredibly insightful article (26 mins) on Social Media Today predicting the changes we’ll see at the big social networks in 2020. If you’ve got time, dig in here.

Here’s what to be watching for in 2020:

• Facebook Pay: Zuck and the gang will put a major focus on “on simplifying in-stream payment options on Facebook.” With Facebook’s cryptocurrency plans bogged down by legislators, Facebook will focus on the less-ambitious project of “building a transactional eco-system” and a consistent payment experience across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp using Facebook Pay.
• Facebook Watch: With 1.6 billion daily active users (DAU) on Facebook, the 140 million sets of eyeballs that watch at least 1 minute on Facebook Watch each day has been less than impressive to advertisers. “Expect Facebook to give Watch another major push in 2020, fueled in part by its new dedicated News tab (which includes original video news programming)” says Hutchinson. Oh… and the updated Facebook Portal device opens up a direct feed of Facebook Watch content on the home TV. Will it be enough to push YouTube, Netflix, Disney+ aside?
• Insta-bots: There are ~300,000 active bots on Facebook Messenger. Look for Facebook to “enable bot connection within Instagram, where they could actually prove more popular.” Could Insta breathe new life into bot-enabled marketing, e-commerce, and customer service?
• IGTV: With TikTok and SnapChat gaining momentum, IGTV will continue to emulate what is working for the two upstart networks nipping at its heels. Look for more exposure for Insta-influencers and lots of new layout and feature tests. IGTV should be on your “let’s see what happens here” list as we head into 2020.
• Snap Spectacles v2.0: Snap thinks your reality needs augmenting. Rumors are flying about a new pair of stylish glasses that “overlay digital graphics over people’s real-world view.” In fact, every major player in Big Tech is racing to adorn your face with AR-enabled specs.
• LinkedIn Events: LI will focus on its newly launched events tool. The tool allows you to create and join events, invite connections, and have conversations around an event. Why wasn’t this always a thing?