By Charlie Balk
“Social media is like a disease that spreads, and then dies.” Time Magazine stated this based on a study from Princeton comparing social networks to infectious diseases; the study predicts that Facebook will lose 80% of its peak user base between 2015 and 2017. Regardless of how you project Facebook’s future to look, it’s hard to deny that Facebook’s “cool factor” has been in an absolute free-fall over the past several years to the point that it is now virtually nonexistent.
So what types of networks are the younger generations turning to? Private and/or anonymous, mobile-friendly networks that are based on messaging (where their parents can’t find them) where they can share small photos and videos with their friends. Below are 5 up-and-coming networks that have potential to blow up soon.