Universal Information Services

Now that we are almost a month into 2018, I’m able to reflect on the innovations, successes, and flops of everything from Apps to gadgets of 2017. For the purpose of this article I will focus mainly on what gained popularity or faded into irrelevance with my demographic, the 18-22 year old age bracket. I’m also going to try and predict what could come for this year.

Loser App

First, lets start with Facebook. A true force to be reckoned with, but when it comes to people my age, we find it to have too slow a pace. The most action my Facebook ever saw was the occasional tagging in a photo with my mom. I can’t remember the last time I updated a post or even changed my profile picture. I know that most kids here at UNL feel the same. Yeah, my parents still use Facebook, is a commonly heard. Now does that mean that Facebook is going to go bankrupt? Absolutely not, just if you are an advertiser looking to hit my age range, Facebook is a waste of of your money.

Winning App

Next, we have Venmo. This app became huge in 2017. Revolutionizing the way money is transferred between parties, Venmo makes it easier and faster to exchange cash. Being able to instantly transfer money to your friend who ran to the store, or the ability to to pay someone back for dinner, while you are still at the restaurant, because you forgot your wallet, is truly nice. It’s everything my demographic loves. Venmo is fast, easy, efficient and on our phones. I’m excited to see where they take this platform in 2018.

A winner/A loser

Finally, the tried and true GroupMe app by Microsoft. GroupMe lets iPhone and Android users enjoy all the benefits of iMessage, regardless of which mobile operating system they are running. With features like setting calendar dates and distributing invites to events, or even being able to cast a vote within the chat, GroupMe is great. Again, the traits of this app or fast, friendly, efficient, and on my phone. I don’t see Groupme going anywhere anytime soon. I do feel bad for iMessage, having treated me well for so many of my formative years, but it’s no match for the functionality and versatility of GroupMe. Evolution marches on for my age group.

All in all, these rising stars are something to look out for in the coming year. Interestingly, Mark Zuckerberg claimed that this is the year he fixes Facebook. So we might see some innovation that could rekindle my interest in Facebook… maybe I’ll give it another shot at the end of this year.

This has been another post by Teddy Murphy. I’m keeping my eye on what’s next for Universal Information Services.