2025 Social Media Trends and Updates: Scrolling Into the New Year

Keeping up with social media trends and updates sometimes feels impossible. Algorithm changes, new features, and even entirely new platforms are popping up regularly. From the uncertain future of TikTok in the U.S. to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) reshaping the digital landscape, 2024 saw its fair share of changes to social media. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’re diving into the most significant social media shifts of 2024 and sharing our predictions for what’s on the horizon in 2025.

• “The Lead”: $10 Billion Social Video Advertising Spending
• Trending Across All Platforms: Breaking Brand Guidelines
• Facebook Trends
• TikTok Trends
• Instagram Trends
• X and Other Microblogger Trends
• LinkedIn Trends
• YouTube and Pinterest Trends: The “Quiet Ones”
• Get Expert Help With 2025 Social Media Trends

“The Lead”: Social Video Ads Outpace Broadcast TV by $10 billion

In journalism class, we learned not to “bury the lead story.” So, before diving into individual social platform trends, let’s address the $10 billion gorilla in the room. In 2025, advertisers will spend $10 billion more on social video advertising than linear (broadcast) television. This figure is also nearly $30 billion more than connected (CTV) advertising. When done right, these ads are efficient and effective. Consumers tell us where they want to be served ads and in what format. To ignore them could be a costly mistake. If you have held off so far, 2025 should be the year you start to work social video advertising into your plan, regardless of the platforms you use.

Trending Across All Platforms: Breaking Brand Guidelines

Over the years, we’ve seen brands eagerly jump on trends. This year, they’ve taken it further by breaking free from rigid brand consistency. This includes changes in tone, typography, brand colors, and more. For example, some brands are hopping on the Pepe the King Prawn trend and sharing “embarrassing moments.” This post from Rare Beauty and one from Scrub Daddy (below) are great examples.

This approach not only helps brands feel more “approachable” and “real,” but it also resonates deeply with younger audiences who value authenticity. Pairing this strategy with user-generated content (UGC) and employee-generated content (EGC) enhances its impact—building trust, increasing engagement, and creating an authentic brand image.

Facebook Trends

Looking back: 2024

• Social commerce: According to Sprout Social, in 2024, Facebook (the channel with the most users) remained the leading social commerce platform. It offers businesses opportunities to combine shopping experiences with social interactions.
  Features like Facebook Shop and Marketplace make it easy for users to discover and buy products on the platform. With a wide user base spanning demographics, Facebook helps brands boost engagement and sales.

• Facebook Reels: Facebook Reels continued to gain popularity in 2024. Adding Reels was a strategic move to compete with TikTok and YouTube Shorts in short-form video content. Reels give users and businesses a new outlet for telling their brand story and offer creative ways to connect with audiences. Reels are especially useful in reaching younger demographics, who gravitate toward quick, visually engaging content.

• Meta AI: In addition to social commerce and Reels, Meta’s AI advancements have changed how users and businesses interact with content. One helpful feature is summarized comment sections. This allows brands to efficiently review large amounts of feedback and quickly identify positive and negative comments, allowing them to respond appropriately and adjust strategies if needed.

In addition to social commerce and Reels, Meta’s AI advancements have changed how users and businesses interact with content. (Click images to enlarge)

Meta AI has created personalized recommendations across the platform. Advanced algorithms analyze user behavior to suggest content, products, and accounts that align with user interests. For businesses, this means better-targeted advertising to reach their ideal audience. Meta AI has also improved content creation and curation. AI tools assist creators in generating captions, suggesting hashtags, and even editing videos to align with current trends.

Looking ahead: 2025

• E-commerce: Facebook’s e-commerce offerings are expected to continue growing in 2025. Improvements to Facebook Shops will likely create more personalized and seamless shopping experiences. Immersive AR experience ads will transform the way users interact with the platform. From virtually trying on clothes to seeing furniture in their homes, AR ads will help bridge the gap between shopping in person and online.

• Micro and nano influencers: Micro and nano influencers have grown in importance and will be even more valuable in 2025. They may not have massive followings, but their audiences—usually under 100,000—are highly engaged and trust their content. For brands with a hyperlocal strategy, these smaller communities offer a more targeted and effective approach.

• Privacy policies: While we are still watching to see what this will mean for marketers, Facebook is also expected to implement stricter privacy policies and changes to user consent tools to promote user trust.

TikTok Trends

Looking back: 2024

• Short-form video: TikTok continues its stellar growth trajectory built on highly engaged Gen Z users who help TikTok generate 1 billion short-form videos daily. Other channels are scrambling to match this success rate, so expect short-form video content to continue driving engagement and revenues.

• TikTok Shop: TikTok Shop launched in September 2023 but gained traction in 2024. Its in-app shopping features, including shoppable videos, live shopping (think QVC), and product showcases, made it a hit. Affiliate programs also let creators earn commissions through sales.

• Collaborators: TikTok also tried to compete with Meta by introducing collaborators on videos, which means if you collaborate, the video will show on the creator and all the collaborators’ profiles. The app introduced new AR features, including new interactive filters.

Looking ahead: 2025

• Looming ban: Throughout 2024, there has been a cloud over the future of TikTok in the U.S. In 2020, during the first Trump administration, the U.S. proposed the possibility of banning TikTok over privacy and national security issues, and in 2024, the Biden administration signed into law a bipartisan bill that would ban the app in the U.S. if it is not sold out from Chinese ownership by January 19, 2025. As of this writing, the issue is being fought in frenzied filings in the court system. What do we think about 2025? We think that TikTok is making about $18 billion a year and growing at about 20% per year, and that is probably too much money to let it die, so we suspect that one way or another, there will be a TikTok in our future, but it will probably include different privacy rules that will impact the algorithm. Don’t throw away your TikTok plan.
• Episodic: If TikTok is still around in 2025 in the U.S., we can expect a rise in episodic storytelling like the series that took the world by storm, Reesa Teesa’s Who TF Did I Marry? Additionally, we expect to see TikTok improving its AR filters and interactive ads on the platform.
• In the wings: If the TikTok ban does go into effect, there are a few players waiting in the wings who may try to stake a claim, like Clapper, a short-form video-based app similar to TikTok, where users have to be 17 years old or older. Of course, Meta and YouTube will do their best to grab those viewers and advertisers as well.

Instagram Trends

Looking back: 2024

• AI transparency: In 2024, Instagram doubled down on transparency and authenticity. New features now alert users if AI edited or created a photo. Advertisers should take note—this shift matters to all users. Unrealistic images from Photoshop and AI tools have been linked to negative mental health effects.

• Branded content: Instagram leads influencer marketing with its “quiet advertising” approach. Sponsored posts blend naturally into feeds, avoiding a hard sell and making ads feel genuine and relatable. Instagram advertisers are also continuing to lean toward micro and nano influencers more than macro influencers. These smaller influencers are creating a community on their profiles instead of chasing thousands of inactive followers.

• Social trends: Instagram is still popular for jumping on new trends like “Brat Summer” and “Moo Deng,” allowing users to interact in various ways. Fans enjoy seeing brands engage in trends and not take themselves too seriously. Pushing the boundaries of brand authenticity can help bring in a new wave of fans and keep followers engaged.

Fans enjoy seeing brands, like Panera Bread and Sports Girls Club, engage in trends and not take themselves too seriously. (Click images to enlarge)

Looking ahead: 2025

In 2025, Instagram is expected to keep prioritizing short-form video content, which continues to be a dominant format for engagement. Social commerce will maintain growth as Meta continues improving its shopping experiences. As Threads keeps evolving, ad opportunities are expected to emerge on the platform, offering more ways for brands to reach users.

X (and Other Microblogger) Trends

X versus the “Twitter-likes”: 2024

In 2024, microblogging social media platform X (formerly Twitter) faced significant changes and challenges after its acquisition by Elon Musk. Some U.S. users and advertisers disagreed with some of the platform’s new policies. A number of high-profile brands, including the likes of IBM, Apple, Sony, and Disney, pulled their advertising from the platform, while X lost a reported 18% of U.S. user accounts in the first year. One major issue for brands was the move to paid verification, letting anyone buy a verification badge. This made it harder to spot real brand accounts from impersonators. Adding to the chaos on X, many of the remaining users seem less than loyal—either inactive or, let’s be honest, trolls.

Last year brought a wave of Twitter-like platforms. Meta’s Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Truth Social, and Gen Z’s NoPlace entered the mix. Additionally, fast-growing community platforms like Reddit and Discord and niche platforms like Twitch continue to grow. While there has been much in the press about the “downfall” of X, there are indications that the platform may be stabilizing, and with that, a clearer brand identity and audience are emerging.

X and the “Twitter-likes”: 2025

• Not going anywhere: While still mired in controversy for some, it is clear that with a reported 106 million monthly active users in the U.S. (611 million globally), X is not going anywhere. It is, however, changing. Today, X users are heavily (68%) skewed male in the U.S. Few social channels can make a claim even close to that. Are there planning implications for some brands? We think so and suspect that 2025 will be the year some brands give X a second look for strategically sound reasons. However, to secure and keep those ad dollars, we believe X will need to address user complaints about recent updates to their terms of service and privacy policies.
• Threads gains steam: Of the non-X channels that have emerged, none has the technological and financial backing that Meta’s Threads platform has. From June to December 2024, Threads saw an increase of 100 million active daily users and is forecasting revenue of $4.5 billion. That number might sound familiar—it’s $100 million more than the last reported revenue for the now privately-owned X. After 2024 updates like landscape video viewing and better creator analytics, the platform seems poised for more growth. For some advertisers who want options and scale in a Twitter-like platform, it looks like Threads may be the ticket.
• Community-building opportunities: It’s important to stay objective about each platform, its users, and the opportunities emerging on new and growing channels. Social media’s shift toward community is clear in changes on X, “Twitter-likes,” and other overlooked platforms. Just as brands are embracing micro and nano influencers or hyperlocal strategies, these social communities offer high engagement potential. With the fragmentation of the old Twitter, expect some cost efficiencies as competition in the space grows.

LinkedIn Trends

Looking back: 2024

• AI-powered: In 2024, LinkedIn made several notable changes to enhance the user experience, including introducing AI-powered personalized content, which recommends tailored connections, job opportunities, and relevant posts based on users’ skills and interests​.
• Algorithm changes: In a move that was disappointing to many B2B marketers, the platform also refined its algorithm, deprioritizing links to external websites to keep users engaged within LinkedIn. This resulted in smaller link previews and an emphasis on content that didn’t lead users away from the platform​. The algorithm now favors short, question-based posts. LinkedIn Polls are especially popular, inviting users to respond and boost engagement. LinkedIn’s algorithm continues to prioritize video content as well, recommending users keep videos short (1-2 minutes) and use subtitles.

Looking ahead: 2025

• Increased paid ads: We think one possible outcome of LinkedIn changing its algorithm to force more on-platform activity will be an increase in paid ads and InMail activity. For many B2B marketers, the traffic from LinkedIn content to the brand website had been a reliable source of leads. In the short term, paid options make a lot of sense, but LinkedIn, beware. If LinkedIn doesn’t offer affordable options to replace that traffic, B2B marketers may look elsewhere. We expect a shift back to Google, predictive data tools, email marketing, and events.
• Other content types: With changes to LinkedIn, expect to see increases in LinkedIn articles and newsletters to post long-form content on the platform​.
• Removal of live audio events: Another significant change is the removal of LinkedIn Live Audio Events. However, LinkedIn Live is still around and will likely drive more live content in 2025.
• Micro-influencers: It was only a matter of time before micro and nano influencers began to rise in importance on LinkedIn. The platform is increasingly pushing for authenticity from users and brands, which lends itself well to the growing trend of micro-influencers on LinkedIn. This brings the niche audience opportunities we previously mentioned to B2B social media.

YouTube and Pinterest Trends: The “Quiet Ones”

As the old saying goes, “It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.” We think that’s true in social media, too, so we thought it was important to mention two social channels that remain important.

YouTube

Here are some numbers on the second-largest social media platform in the world.

• YouTube is a favored platform by content creators because their ads pay the best. 
• YouTube is by far the largest video social media channel in the U.S., with 240 million monthly users (TikTok estimates between 122 million and 170 million) and $33.5 billion in revenue.

So, what has YouTube been up to?

• Content and creator improvements: YouTube is working to keep up with expected developments, like improvements to its short-form video offering (YouTube Shorts). It’s also offering content creation tools like Dream Scene and AI Assistant to help Creators produce content efficiently.
• Vertical live streams: YouTube also introduced vertical formats for live streams, meeting the demand for mobile-friendly viewing.
• Optimizing for TV: For years now, YouTube has focused on TV screens, even launching YouTube TV. With more cord-cutters turning to online content through paid and free services, YouTube stands as the only true crossover between CTV and social media. Content creators are responding by making more TV-friendly entertainment.
• Social commerce: YouTube has long been a hub for influencers, unboxings, and product pitches. In 2023, it added commerce-friendly features like clickable product links and shoppable ads, allowing viewers to buy directly from videos. With YouTube ranking as the second largest search engine in the U.S., shoppable videos are a strategy more brands should explore.
• Community Posts Feed improvements: Finally, YouTube rolled out improvements to its Community Posts Feed to improve engagement with the communities of its online creators.

Pinterest

Pinterest grew in 2024, breaking the 90 million active monthly user mark in the U.S. (518 million globally, +11%). Revenues also grew to a forecast of $3.6 billion. What have they been up to?

• Custom search filters: Pinterest now lets users search based on specifics like body type, skin tone, hair type, etc., improving the relevance of search results.
• AR try-ons: Pinterest’s AR feature allows users to try on makeup virtually, visualize furniture in their own spaces, etc.
• Collages: Pinterest has taken its boards a step further with interactive collages. This feature allows users to cut out objects and create customized visual collections.

With 518 million Pinterest users, we think this is another case where focused targeting can be beneficial. Highly targeted interest groups, new interactive AR features, and low CPMs make platforms ideal for industries like home décor, fashion, and food and beverage. These tools drive better engagement and reduce acquisition costs. In addition. Pinterest is about 70% female, which presents its own opportunities.

Get Expert Help With 2025 Social Media Trends

The great news is that brands have never had so many diverse, targetable, and highly convertible social platform options. There are virtually no limits to how creatively you can engage audiences, and the value keeps improving. With so many platforms and endless possibilities, 2025 is the perfect time for your brand, fans, and influencers to thrive! As always, if you need a hand putting all the pieces together, we hope you’ll drop us a note here or call us at 502-499-4209.