ATTENTION: This session requires advance signup to attend. For Online Schedule: Please utilize the RSVP link below the description to reserve your seat. For SXSW GO App: Use the RSVP 'Find a Timeslot' link. You must have a SXSW Interactive, Gold, or Platinum badge to attend, and, you must have an activated SXsocial account (social.sxsw.com) to reserve a seat. If you have any issues with signing up, please email support@sxsw.com. VERY IMPORTANT: Because of the limited space, we recommend you arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the published start time of this session. If you have not checked in at the room you RSVPed for at least five minutes prior to the session start time, you may lose your seat to an attendee in the waiting list line.

Technology and social are evolving at an unprecedented pace. Today, Americans spend more time on social media than any other Internet activity, including email. Marketers are trying to keep up with consumers who are uploading and sharing new content every second - to the tune of nearly 2 billion photos a day across key social networks including Flickr, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Given this deluge of social activity it comes as no surprise that 93% of marketers report using social media for business purposes. If today’s challenge lies in the ability for brands to connect with their audience in an engaging and authentic way via social, what’s in store for 2020? This session will discuss what the future of social looks like 5 years from now, in the year 2020, and will explore the technologies needed to maintain brand-consumer relationships in the next phase of digital evolution.