2013 has been a year of extremes both in terms of highs and lows in terms of social media. Brian Solis, the principal analyst at Altimeter Group, said that social media joined the mainstream forces this year.

Social media is no longer considered as a temporary craze which will fade with time, he said.

Information Week predicts 2014 to be a year when people will focus more on monetisation. There will be greater acceptance of shared information as well. Here are top 5 likely trends in social media in 2014.

Better monetisation

According to Mr Solis, everyone is bothered how social media can help make money. If a social media platform does not help people earn more money, it is not considered as a practical platform. However, he said, it is not true. Neither Facebook nor Twitter made money when they started. However, Facebook learnt the trick gradually.

More sharing

Users of social media are going to be more comfortable with shared information. They are expected to care less about privacy and open up more. They do not want to restrict themselves in a secluded corner. The more we share content online, the more people have a chance to react to it.

More user-generated content

Curalate CEO Apu Gupta believes that people are going to "go bananas" for user-generated content. This means more original and unique content will be encouraged and appreciated. User-generated contents are copyright free and comes for free of cost as well. This is going to be an effective way of measuring the ROI of their social media investment.

Google+

Google+ is going to come up with more force in 2014. Its more active involvement with YouTube will improve its standing. Anyone who wants to comment on a YouTube video must have a Google+ account. Google+ has a unique visual appeal and that is expected to work in 2014.

Facebook

Investors were sceptical about Facebook's prospect in 2013. However, that is not going to remain so in 2014. Facebook is going to be respected for the value it brings to social media. Facebook will grow considerably in 2014.