The Rise of Multimedia for Online Communication Startups

This look at the driving forces behind the multimedia evolution of online communication explores some recent startups and the reasons behind their success. Online messaging has been a hot topic in the startup world lately. Last year, a new breed of online messaging tools sprang up and experienced tremendous user growth. Although online messaging is similar to text messaging, these next-generation apps usually offer more convenient communication features-in particular, tools for sharing more media types, including images, videos, and voice messages. This is in line with the trend of social media users shifting away from traditional text-based communication and embracing more multimedia-oriented platforms. Popular social networks are also following this trend to enhance their online-messaging services to support new media types. Facebook´s purchase of Instagram and Twitter for Vine highlight the potential for social multimedia sharing.