Chula's Assoc. Prof. Dr. Smith Forecasts Robust AR and VR Trends in 2024, Emphasizes Niche Content and Social Media Engagement

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Smith Boonchutima said that companies will increasingly adopt Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) for their campaigns to create wow factors for their products and make their brand image look modern.

Streaming by Thai media in 2022 was not as prevalent when compared to 2023. Dr. Smith noted that one of the major trends this year will be streaming. And content, such as news, current events, and talks will be instantaneously available on platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Smith Boonchutima, Chulalongkorn University, Communication Arts Department, Faculty Member

Dr. Smith stated that X, formerly known as Twitter, will be a hotbed for social activities, with an uptick in sharing trends and hashtags. This is because X is extremely effective in connecting students and the younger generation since it is a platform for citizens of the world.

Moreover, Dr. Smith said that the value of  "mass marketing", in terms of both influencers and products, will diminish due to oversaturation.

This shift will steer the market towards niche marketing. In Smith’s view, niche marketing’s value derives from authenticity, relationships, and uniqueness, which are the building blocks to enhance the value of content, platforms, or brands.

the use of AI to create content is acceptable as long as the content is good

Since content creation can now be done using artificial intelligence (AI), Dr. Smith stated—from a media consumer’s standpoint—that the use of AI to create content is acceptable as long as the content is good. However, whether news organizations should use AI is still debatable as it depends how AI is used in the press.