I suppose it has something to do with the trendy and ever-developing nature of the business; more so than say, the automobile tire industry. 
Some people set their fortunes on the basis of these soothsayers…putting all their chips on the expected death of email, or the rise of LinkedIn, etc.
My recommendation: Consider the wisdom of these lists as compared to your own experience, and act accordingly.
Below is a list of some of the early and worthy Social Media prediction lists for 2016, along with at least one salient point from the list, in case you don’t want to read the whole darn thing (and based on the possibility that you believe I might know what I’m talking about).
3 Digital Marketing Trends for 2016
“Social is no longer a free resource”
How Companies Find You Online is Changing in 2016!
“Mobile is going to matter more”
“Factors that previously haven’t mattered are going to make a big difference”
Six YouTube Tips To Improve Your Search Rank in 2016
“Keep your content consistent”
7 Top eLearning Trends for 2016
“Video is on the rise”
[Also see my blog of Dec 8, The VoiceOver Job That (almost) No One Talks About]
Biggest Social Media Trend Predictions for 2016
“Advertising will become more prominent” (ugh)
The Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2016
“In-the-moment updates will dominate”
6 Content and Social Media Trend Predictions for 2016
“SEO will focus more on social media platforms and less on search engines”
9 Bold Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2016
“an all-Emoji social messaging app will actually gain traction”
22 Social Media Experts Share Their Bold Predictions for 2016
“We will begin to see real retraction in the social media industry”
16 Internet Marketing & Social Media Predictions for 2016 [saved the best for last]“Social Media is a search channel”
“Blogging is necessary” (YAY!)
“Video will play a larger role than ever before”
CourVO
