Nearly three decades since it was launched, the basic and clunky system of Echo, an early-era web forum, remains mostly unchanged, with many of its earliest members – now in their 50s, 60s and 70s – still daily users. How has this bare-bones platform stood the test of time?

Slack has firmly established itself within the working world, forming the comms backbone for employees at major media outlets and start-ups alike. The Islands app aims to bring a similar service to college students, helping them to collaborate, find support and socialize with their peers.

Unless you have a tween-aged daughter, it’s unlikely you’ll have heard of British twins Max & Harvey. But with over three million fans on social video app Musical.ly, they’re preparing to tackle the charts, tour the world, and reap the financial rewards of fame – all before leaving school.

The emergence of female-focused dating, transportation and security apps is indicative of the fact that women’s freedom of movement in everyday life is often curtailed by the threat of violence. Yet as these services often don’t increase access to public spaces, what can be done differently?

As swiping right has become the default in digital dating, OkCupid is reinforcing its core value of ‘substance over selfies’ with an ad campaign that reclaims the acronym DTF. By exploring the ways people get to know each other beyond the physical, it’s making a statement against hook-up culture.

The ‘Stories’ features on Instagram and Snapchat have proven popular among users for their impermanence, authenticity, and behind-the-scenes nature. But how exactly are they being used by brands, celebrities and regular people? And how are these temporary digital tales evolving?

How are social platforms converging? Will voice assistants lead to a renaissance in audio advertising? And have people had enough of sharing with the world? In this part of the 2018 Expert Outlook series, we speak to three comms experts about what’s affecting the ways people interact.

State-sponsored hacks and major corporate breaches have pushed online security into the spotlight. In response, Google has unveiled Advanced Protection, enabling high-risk users to safeguard their accounts against targeted attacks. But can it get the average person to take cyber-security seriously?