
As the world continues to face serious development challenges, approaches to address these challenges will also have to become more innovative. We looked at some of the top digital trends which organizations in the global development space are leveraging to reach and activate their audiences, and here are the top 5 we are likely to see more of, this year.
1. Ephemeral content
Platforms such as Snapchat which has 10 billion daily views have an instant appeal with younger online users. Since the content shared is usually short lived it has an authentic feel while capturing the attention of online users – an attribute valued by most marketers.Additionally, The World Bank recently used it to highlight the need to improve education globally.

2. Social chat bots
Over 2.5 billion people use messaging platforms globally. This year, Gartner predicts that about 30 percent of our conversations will be assisted by smart machines. Currently, there are at least 100,000 monthly active bots on Facebook Messenger.So Organizations in the development space are also leveraging this tool by engaging with their audiences in real time. For instance, UNICEF’s U-Report bot lets users voice their opinions to their leaders, and help change the conditions in their communities. The account, which has over 1 million active users, started out in Uganda as a local innovation to help young Ugandans engage in issues that affect their lives and futures. This may be the year to test the smart automation trend.

3. Live streaming and interactive broadcasting
Live streamed videos have been continuously increasing in popularity, pushed in no small part by Facebook, who still favors it in their algorithm. This year, we will expect to see more organizations use this platform in new and innovative ways to continue to deepen engagement. in 200 million users daily and Facebook bringing in 8 billion daily video views while Twitter live having 96 million hours of live user-generated content in Q3 via Periscope.
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4. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Did you know that half the world is at risk of malaria, a deadly – yet preventable disease transmitted by mosquitoes? To address this problem, the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets, produced a virtual reality story called Under the Net. The film tells the story of 11-year old Amisa, a girl living in a refugee camp in Tanzania. The film has so far 500k views (including 100+ viewings on Capital Hill) and over 100% corporate giving in 2016.
The World Bank is not new to Augmented Reality. In 2015, we expanded print to include Blippar – an app that lets users turn print into something more dynamic. The app is now making it easier to merge print and digital content into more innovative material while making events such as the Annual Meetings and last year’s COP23 in Bonn.

5. Video
Video continues to demonstrate a strong position among other content types, especially on Facebook, where it receives higher engagement as followers comment, like and share the content.Take a look at this World Bank Rewind video which recaps the highlights of the World Bank’s work in 2017:
In a nutshell, Time will tell. So tell us, how is your organization using some of these innovations. Post in the comments!