Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 Status updates, Tweets and check-ins have long been the norm in the world of social. Instagram, a seemingly ever-present cog in the social media machine, has actually been around for only two years. It’s a testament to the power of visual social sharing that Instagram is already considered to be on the Mt. Rushmore of social media. Yes, two years is a long time in the digital world. But the important thing to note is that Instagram’s popularity continues to rise, and not just among regular consumers. According to Top Dog Social Media, 38% of marketers plan to increase their use of visual sharing apps like Instagram. There is power in the visual medium. Again, this isn’t exactly breaking news, but with the average attention span being a tidy 8 seconds, brands are looking for a way to connect with audiences (Statistic Brain). People don’t want to read. Perhaps that’s a bit much coming from a blog post, but it’s the truth. The old saying still rings true – a picture really is worth a thousand words. Short-form video sharing is here to stay. And here’s where it gets really interesting – pictures are quickly being pushed aside in favor of the new hotshot on the social media scene – videos. Yeah, I hear you – YouTube’s been around forever. It’s the same with Vimeo. You know what? I don’t care. The average YouTube video is even worse than a wall of text! Who wants to sit around and watch a four-minute video when you’re only looking for one specific piece of information? I sure as hell don’t, I can tell you that much. Looking at it from a personal perspective, call me anti-social if you want, but I don’t really want to watch your eight-minute video from the Maldives. I’m sure you had a nice trip, but eight minutes? Just show me the highlights. The same rule applies to brand-created and sponsored content. Give me small, snackable chunks that I can view quickly and easily. This is the future of social media and the reason that Vine has come out of nowhere to become a household name. And who else has recently thrown their hat in the social video ring? That’s right, Instagram. The kings of visual social sharing know a winner when they see it, and right now we’re seeing the advent of the next big thing in social, which is not just visual sharing, but video sharing. Six seconds and fifteen seconds might not seem like much at first glance, but think about the possibilities. Think about audience reception and attention span. Short-form video makes sense. Just as moving billboards came onto the scene a few years back, social media sharing will increasingly move towards short, easy-to-digest videos which tell far more in just a few seconds than several paragraphs ever could. If you’re still not convinced, imagine if Facebook had incorporated short-form video from the beginning. All of a sudden users don’t have to worry about character limits, language barriers and choosing the right words. Instead they can simply post what they see. They can post what’s happening to them. I’m talking about real, authentic sharing straight from the source. And that’s why in a world of short attention spans and 10 megapixel smart phones, I’d bet the house on the continued rise of visual social sharing. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on SocialChorus Blog and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Jay Leonard Jay is a UK-based cryptocurrency expert, specialising in fundamental analysis and medium to long term investments. Jay has a great deal of hands-on experience in analysing financial markets and performing technical analysis. Jay is currently focusing on the institutional adoption of cryptocurrency and what it means for the future of … View full profile ›More by this author:Top Trending Meme Coins: ELON, HOGE, SAMO, TAMA, MARVIN, BABYDOGE, MONAHotbit Exchange Forced to Suspend Service As it’s Under Criminal InvestigationCameo CEO Steven Galanis Wallet Hacked – $231k Worth of NFTs Stolen