Gone are the days of managing regularly updated Facebook profiles or Twitter accounts and calling it “social media.”
Our very means of social connectivity have transformed in the last year, demanding that users and companies alike adapt to new platforms and ever-changing trends. As lines between competitors start to blur—hello Snapchat and Instagram!—and new ways of communication crop up from unlikely brands, it’s clear that how we connect online will continue to evolve.
Below are 10 companies that have changed the way we think of social media—and will continue to do so into 2017.
Click on a company name to learn more about why it made the list.
01. SNAP
For giving users a virtual playground
02. FACEBOOK
For live broadcasting world-changing events
03. TENCENT
For reinventing the messaging app—again and again
04. GLOSSIER
For creating cult products from social insights
05. TACO BELL
For turning feedback into viral content
06. DUOLINGO
For letting friends compare notes
07. THE SHADE ROOM
For Instagramming real-time celeb gossip
08. SPRINKLR
For managing big brands’ reputations
09. WATTPAD
For turning online fan fiction into Hollywood entertainment
10. MUSICAL.LY
For syncing tweens around the world
This article is part of our coverage of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2017.
