Social Media Metaphors

Analogies and visualizations clarify the nature of social media

Implications - For the less web-wise, a visual translation of the crowded social media world is helpful in understanding the impact of social media. Artists and social media specialists are creating social media metaphors—creative analogies, visualizations and comparisons between the Internet and almost anything—that are engaging, insightful and provide clarity to less social media-savvy consumers and brands.

Trend Themes

  1. Social Media Visualization — Artists and social media specialists are creating social media metaphors—creative analogies, visualizations and comparisons between the internet and almost anything—that are engaging, insightful and provide clarity to less social media-savvy consumers and brands.
  2. Social Media Infographics — Infographics that celebrate 100 million new Twitter accounts and illustrate the 7 types of iPhone users have become a popular trend to help explain social media to the non-web-savvy population.
  3. Digital Identity Personification — Personifying digital identities has become a disruptive innovation opportunity with websites such as Flowtown creating internet profiles as if in the pages of a high school yearbook, and Stick With Me Baby Mac stickers being created by a group of designers to personalize a MacBook in a sea of Apple products.

Industry Implications

  1. Marketing & Advertising — Opportunities lie in finding creative ways to visually represent complex social media concepts, as well as personifying digital identities for personalized and unique marketing strategies.
  2. Technology — With social media and smartphone usage predominating online and mobile experiences, innovations in consumer-friendly tech should consider how to help users navigate and understand the digital landscape easily.
  3. Art & Design — The growth of social media has enabled disruptive innovation in artistic expression, with artists using platforms to share thought-provoking pieces on the effects of social connectivity and identity.
5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
6 Featured, 48 Examples:
1,233,792 Total Clicks
Date Range:
Jun 10 — Feb 11
Trending:
Warm

Featured Examples

iPhone User Infographics
iPhone User Infographics
The '7 Types of iPhone Users' Celebrates the launch of Verizon iPhones
If you are, or know someone who is an iPhone user, then chances are you will get a good laugh out of this ‘7 Types of iPhone Users’ made by the folks at AllAreaCodes.com in order to... MORE
Juxtaposed Social Media Art
Juxtaposed Social Media Art
Filippo Minelli Creates Contradictory Scenarios
Filippo Minelli knows that innumerable amounts of the world's population is connected by a social media outlet -- be it Twitter or Facebook or the many others. The interconnectivity between friends, families,… MORE
Personified Decals
Personified Decals
The 'Stick With Me Baby' Mac Stickers are Full of Attitude
The 'Stick With Me Baby' Mac stickers were created by a group of designers from Herraizsoto&co;. These funny and interesting stickers will definitely stand out from all the other Macs around. There is… MORE
Personified Website Stereotypes
Personified Website Stereotypes
The Social Media Class of 2011 is the Web's Pop Culture Prequel
There are many who struggle to define social networking, but few examples come cross as funny as the Social Media Class of 2011 by Flowtown. Categorizing some of the most popular user interactive websites… MORE
Social Media Maps
Social Media Maps
The Randall Munroe 'Online Communities' Maps Give Direction to n00bs
The Randall Munroe 'Online Communities' maps make web surfing easy for the less Internet-savvy. The maps outline the Internet's biggest websites as countries and seas, giving clarity to each site's ranking… MORE
Celeb Twitter Trees
Celeb Twitter Trees
The Twitter Infographic Celebrates 100 Million More New Accounts
Twitter continues to see phenomenal growth, especially in the past year: In 2010, more than 100 million new accounts were opened. The Twitter Infographic celebrates this phenomenon, showing off notable… MORE

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