What is your goal for 2018?

Every year, people take the opportunity of a new year to set new goals where they achieve something better or take an old habit to the graveyard. In the process however, they beat themselves up, fail to manage the level of stress and dwell in the world of comparison which only shows the good and prefect side of people. For me, this new year is about having a balanced life, focusing on 3-4 areas of my life and enjoying the journey of evolving 1% a day. If you insist, however, to know one specific goal, it would be to reflect on my journey as a freelancer and a professional in a published book. I haven’t finalized the topics but it will mostly be related to my background about the working life style for digital creatives and how to keep living their creative truth after being corporately involved in politics and operations. Time shall reveal more.

What is your prediction for social media next year?

From my view, I would say it’s hard to predict social media without observing the economy and industry growth. Here are some highlights:

• National TV is being aired on YouTube.
• Influencers & public figures in advertisements are still followed and in demand.
• E-commerce is taking over from Instagram shops to service applications in fields like transportation, shopping, grocery and delivery.
• Newspapers are screaming for recognition and shifting to digital.
• Video reports instead of written articles and a restructuring their system in terms of positions that used to be more media-oriented.

All these factors demonstrate a rise in media and business digital market share and the result will be a demand for not only more social media experts, but also for legal professionals and educators in privacy, digital regulations, copyrights and intellectual property.

Author: Budoor Kaladari

Budoor Kaladari is a visual storyteller, who inspires her social narratives from art, culture, environment and day to day scenarios. Budoor is motivated by sustainability initiatives and socially engaged in voicing neglected matters such as stray animals’ rights and the magical link between humanity and biodiversity in her tiny island, Bahrain. As a believer in happy-tales, she hangs on her gratitude-wall: a multimedia bachelor degree, social media strategist & web professional specialist certifications and a list of awards in consultancy, entrepreneurship, web, design, writing and public speaking. To see the boring details of her career, you are invited to connect with her at linkedin.com/in/ibudoor.