Social Media Trends: Platforms, Content, and Engagement

Social Media Trends: Platforms, Content, and Engagement

Social media has come a long way since the early 2000s when platforms like Friendster and MySpace first allowed users to connect online. In the 15+ years since then, social media has evolved from a novel way to interact with friends to a fundamental part of everyday life for billions worldwide.

Major social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have over 1 billion monthly active users. Social media is deeply integrated into marketing and business operations, politics and activism, news and entertainment, and many other facets of society.

But even as social media has become mainstream, the landscape continues to shift dizzily. New platforms arise to challenge the incumbents while stalwart networks fight to stay relevant through constant feature updates and redesigns. Trends in content creation and user engagement come and go like wildfire.

So, what will social media look like in 2024 and beyond? Here, we will explore the key social media trends and changes that will likely define the following social networking and marketing era.

The Rise of the Social Metaverse

Virtual and augmented reality have lingered on the fringes of the technology landscape for years but are now poised to become integral parts of social media thanks to the “metaverse” concept.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been one of the most vocal proponents of the metaverse idea, which refers to persistent 3D virtual worlds where users' avatars can explore digital content and interact with others in real-time. He rebranded Facebook into “Meta” in 2021 to emphasise this focus.

In 2024 and beyond, we're likely to see the top social platforms integrate metaverse-like features that blur the lines between virtual and physical spaces:

• VR spaces for gathering and hanging out with friends – Imagine an always-on virtual environment like Oculus Rooms where you can see digital avatars of friends, play games, and watch media together.
• AR lenses and filters for enhanced photos/videos – Snapchat and Instagram filters are already popular, but there's room for exponential growth in augmented reality effects applied to social media content.
• Video calling merges with VR/AR – Instead of a 2D video grid, platforms like Messenger or WhatsApp could allow people to pair augmented reality effects with real-time video conversations.
• Shopping and branded spaces – Virtual branded stores and showrooms will allow social platforms to merge shopping and entertainment in new metaverse-enhanced social commerce experiences.
• Concerts, events, and more in the metaverse – Look for networks like Roblox to allow musicians, sports teams, and event organisers to create digital experiences to complement real-world happenings.

The integration will likely be gradual before accelerating as VR/AR hardware improves over the years. However, the shift of social media toward persistent 3D presence could fundamentally change how we interact online.

TikTok Competition Heats the Short-Form Video Space

TikTok took the social media world by storm upon launching outside Asia in 2018. The app made short-form vertical videos mainstream for the first time, giving rise to creators and trends that now cross between TikTok and other apps.

TikTok hit 1 billion monthly active users faster than any app in history. However, its growth and cultural significance have not gone unnoticed by its social media rivals.

In 2024, expect the fight for short-form video dominance to reach a fever pitch:

• Instagram is doubling down on Reels – Reels now make up over 20% of the time spent on Instagram. Features like remixing and expanded editing tools aim to court creators.
• YouTube Shorts creator fund – YouTube is paying $100 million to creators on its TikTok competitor. Shorts now have 6.5 billion daily views.
• Snapchat Spotlight – Spotlight pays out $1 million per day to creators of top Snaps. TikTok stars like Charli D’Amelio have joined Spotlight.
• Facebook is pushing short videos – Facebook is testing TikTok-like feeds of short videos. It also launched its TikTok clone, Lasso, which has gained traction in Mexico.
• New platforms are jumping in – Apps like Firework and Triller have raised tens of millions in funding to build TikTok competitors. TikTok itself continues innovating in video commerce, messaging, and more.

Both upstart and established apps will aggressively invest in product features and creator incentives as they all chase the short-form, mobile video market that TikTok uncovered.

Social Media Commerce Becomes Frictionless

Social platforms have dabbled in shopping features for years, but it's never been a smooth, native experience. That will change in the next few years as social commerce emerges.

Seamless in-app shopping integrated with entertainment and influencer content will make buying through social platforms irresistible:

• Shoppable livestreams – Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram Live can already display product info during live videos. Soon, buying without leaving the app will be standard.
• In-app stores for creators – Native “merch shelves” where fans can browse and purchase influencer merch and products will infiltrate platforms. Creators will share in the profits.
• Proximity-aware recommendations – Your social feeds will highlight relevant products and offers based on location. As you walk near it, getting an alert for your favourite coffee shop's daily special will be commonplace.
• One-click buy buttons – Anywhere product tags appear on social content, like Instagram Shoppable Posts, expect one-tap purchasing with saved payment info. Frictionless mobile buying will convert casual browsing to sales.
• Virtual try-on – AR will help you visualise how eyewear, makeup, clothing and accessories will look before you buy without setting foot in a store.

With social media's unrivalled ability to drive consumer trends and purchases, commerce will increasingly become a pillar of social platforms rather than just an add-on.

Battle for the Creator Dollar Across Platforms

The importance of influencer marketing on social has given rise to an entire profession of full-time social media creators. But competition between platforms is now causing lucrative incentives for top creative talent.

Expect the bidding war for creators to gain steam in 2024:

• YouTube is doubling down on Shorts funding – Shorts Fund expanded to $100M annually, paid to creators with the most engaging clips.
• TikTok's rising creator fund – TikTok's Creator Fund grew to over $1 billion in the U.S. in 2021. Top stars make six figures or more annually.
• Instagram and Snapchat luring stars – Lucrative incentives from Instagram and Snapchat convince top TikTokers to dual-post and bring their audience.
• X's audio move with Spaces – X pays some hosts on its Clubhouse rival X Spaces to attract talent.
• New platforms emerge – Facebook is reportedly developing a competitor to Substack focused on newsletter writers and creators. Other paid, creator-first social apps will launch with incentives.
• Exclusive socialOriginal series – Netflix pioneered paying top creators for exclusive content. Other social apps are now experimenting with original productions to attract talent.

The social app gold rush for creators shows no signs of slowing down. In-app commerce also provides a growing revenue stream for top influencers who can move product sales and receive incentives.

Social Audio Poised for Wider Adoption

The initial surge of interest in Clubhouse in early 2021 showed the potential of social audio platforms. Live voice-based networking and conversations add a new dimension that text and video cannot replicate.

However, the Clubhouse craze cooled off quickly due to a limited user base. In 2024, expect audio-based socialising to gain more mainstream traction through big platforms' efforts like:

• Spotify Greenroom investment – Spotify's native Clubhouse rival has a head start on distribution to Spotify's giant built-in audience. Live discussion rooms around music and podcasts have a natural appeal.
• X Spaces expansion – Anyone can host a Space on X, fueling diverse conversations: spaces recording, replay, scheduling, and ticketing aim to boost convenience and discovery.
• LinkedIn building audio networking – LinkedIn's professional base is ideal for audio events around career topics. LinkedIn plans to develop Clubhouse-style features natively.
• Facebook's multi-platform audio push combines audio rooms in Facebook Messenger and its workplace collaboration platform Workplace as it pursues social audio.
• Instagram experiments – Instagram has prototyped an audio chat feature called Walkie Talkie. It also has live Q&As, though not yet persistent audio rooms.
• Discord is advancing beyond gaming – Discord's always-on voice rooms are growing beyond gaming into a diverse hub for online audio communities.

Audio-only socialising solves the fatigue of endless video calls. And the ability to multitask while listening makes audio socialising distinct from visual platforms. Expect audio to join text and video as a pillar of social apps.

Battle for the Future of Accountability

In recent years, social networks have faced growing criticism around problems like misinformation, privacy violations, hate speech moderation, and algorithm transparency.

In response, Apple and lawmakers have advanced significant privacy changes, whistleblower leaks have exposed internal processes, and the companies have promised improvements.

The year 2024 is likely to see increased accountability pressure from many fronts:

• Tighter data privacy regulations – Comprehensive federal privacy laws in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere will limit how personal data can be collected and used. Fines for violations will have teeth.
• Independent algorithm auditing – Watchdogs will audit algorithms for bias, misinformation promotion, and other harms. Results will force algorithmic tweaks.
• Employee organisation – Network staff will increase organising to push back internally against perceived harms in their platforms' operations.
• Whistleblower protections – Legal shields for whistleblowers will encourage more leakers to come forward with documentation of harm.
• Investor pressure – Shareholders will exert pressure through proposals tying executive compensation to metrics related to platform health, like reducing misinformation or hate speech.
• A public database of takedowns – Companies will publicise aggregate stats on content takedowns and restores to provide transparency around rule enforcement.

The combined push from all stakeholders aims to make social networks take concrete, measurable steps to back up their repeated claims about addressing problems. How much the platforms change remains to be seen.

Creator Collectives Replace Single-Platform Reliance

Relying on a single social platform has become a high risk for professional creators. Sudden algorithm shifts or rule changes can crater income and reach overnight.

In response, 2024 will see a rise in creator “collectives” that unite top talent across multiple platforms:

• Multi-platform publishing tools – Software will allow coordinating and cross-posting content across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and more. Some will offer analytics.
• Shared monetisation and services – Collectives will collectively handle brand deals, merchandise, and payment systems for members.
• Unified community hubs – Linktree-style landing pages will centralise community membership and external sites like Discord servers.
• Resource pooling – Top video creators can share sets, equipment, editing help, and other production resources within the collective.
• Exclusive member events – Collectives will hold offline member-only conferences, meetups, and experiential events to deepen connections.
• Leveraging different specialities – Collectives can combine podcasters, video creators, artists, musicians, photographers, writers, and other expert types with complementary skills.
• Alum programs – Retired creators can lend knowledge and connections. Current creators can “graduate” to alumni status after hitting certain milestones.

Watch for top groups like Hype House on TikTok to pioneer more structured, strategic collective models. Banding together will help creators thrive in the Wild West of the influencer economy.

Messaging Hubs Centralise Social Experience

The endless array of social media apps divides people's time and networks more and more. Yet messaging remains the most frequent online activity overall.

Look for centralised messaging platforms to become hubs that absorb more social functions:

• Private group messaging – Group chats based on friend circles, shared interests, classmates, coworkers, and more replace disjointed public posts.
• Shared watch parties – Apps like Messenger allow watching TikTok, Reels, YouTube, and other media together in sync during video calls and chats.
• Gaming integration – Mobile chat apps are already expanding into asynchronous social gaming experiences that users can play together.
• Membership tiers – Messaging apps could take a page from Discord with paid subscription tiers that offer more perks like custom emojis and unlimited group sizes.
• Customer service bots – Messaging apps are becoming platforms for businesses to communicate with customers through automated bots.
• Communication streamlining – Users will communicate across messaging, email, work chat, voice calls, video calls, and more, all in one place.

With their broad reach across demographics, messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger are positioned to fill the role that social networks alone can't satisfy – private human connection.

Rise of the Virtual Influencer

Influencers powered by real people have dominated social media so far. But fictional CGI and virtual influencer personas are arriving and gaining popularity.

Advances in technology will soon make virtual influencers indistinguishable from humans:

• Personalised visuals – Instead of static images, personalised video that simulates reality will respond to user interaction during live streams and messaging.
• Generative audio – AI-generated vocal patterns will enable unique speech adapted to the persona rather than robotic text-to-speech.
• AI-driven content – Automated writing suited to the persona will enable higher output of captions, comments, messages, and other text-based content.
• Reactive narratives – Backstories, plot lines, and relationships evolve dynamically based on user responses versus pre-scripted stories.
• Fully simulated lives – Virtual beings will share personal photos, videos, and stories daily like humans rather than just a branded presence.
• Expanded roles – Virtual tutors, companions, receptionists, and customer service bots will replace slapdash bots.

The ability to precisely sculpt a persona's look, voice, backstory, interests, and style will power virtual influencers that blur reality. Brands can also avoid risks of offensive human influencer behaviour. Expect engaging virtual influencers to find niches across entertainment, education, customer service, and more.

Facial Recognition Goes Mainstream

Despite privacy concerns, facial recognition technology is already widespread on mobile devices for features like Apple's Face ID. Social apps have adopted it, too, for effects and filters.

Next up in 2024 is a seamless integration of facial recognition into the social experience:

• Emotion and reaction tracking – Facial tracking will analyse smile reactions, frowns, surprise, confusion, and more to gauge response to content.
• Biometric photo tagging – Photos will auto-tag friends without needing manual tagging based on facial recognition.
• Real-time editing/effects – AR avatars, makeup, and other facial effects will track facial movements and expressions in real time based on recognition.
• Memories resurfacing – Networks will resurface old photos and videos based on recognising your face even years later without tagging.
• Enterprise applications – Facial recognition for security, tracking attendance, and monitoring employees will become normalised. Significant legal and ethical questions remain.

Processing power and algorithmic advances will inevitably enable widespread facial recognition in social apps. But, balancing powerful technology with privacy and consent presents a crucial challenge as adoption accelerates.

Social Networks Join the Environment Battle

Environmental concerns around climate change have risen to the top of mainstream consciousness. And people increasingly demand that brands and tech companies acknowledge their impact.

In 2024, social networks will adapt practices and features to address the climate emergency:

• Carbon usage transparency – Networks will audit and disclose data centre energy usage, business travel emissions, and other carbon footprint factors annually.
• Renewable energy investments – Look for platforms to set timelines to power their operations entirely through renewable energy. Solar and wind will offset reliance on carbon-emitting sources.
• Environmental issue nudges – Networks will send notifications occasionally nudging people to reduce their environmental impact by eating less meat or lowering thermostats.
• Climate change PSAs – Platforms will create public service announcements around environmental topics like wildfire risk or plastic pollution aimed at young demographics.
• Earth Day activations – Special filters, stickers, profile badges, fundraising features, and other activations on Earth Day will draw awareness to sustainability.
• Creators spotlighting causes – Influencers focused on environmental topics will receive promotions to expand the reach for climate messaging on social networks.

While sustainability claims must be backed by concrete actions on social media's carbon footprint, visible campaigns and product features can still impact consumer awareness and habits at scale.

Where Are the Major Networks Headed?

Beyond industry-level trends, the individual social media giants will evolve based on their distinct positions:

Facebook – The World's Digital Town Square

With nearly 3 billion monthly users, Facebook remains the world's social media keystone. But, it faces questions about purpose, toxicity, and declining organic reach.

Look for Facebook to experiment with approaches like:

• A renewed focus on friends and family sharing over media posts and brands
• Tools that encourage healthy discourse and diffuse tense conversations
• Changes to news feed relevance that favour closer connections over engagement bait
• Decentralising content toward Groups and private messaging feeds
• Adding more interactive social gaming, both cooperative and competitive
• AR effects that enhance in-person gatherings rather than virtual spaces

Facebook's ubiquity gives it latitude to explore novel formats. But toxic discourse, especially around politics, will dominate the agenda unless concrete actions match the rhetoric.

Instagram – The Home for Visual Expression

Instagram built an identity around aspirational visual culture and influencers. But competition from TikTok led it to stray from its roots.

In 2024, realignment around Instagram's core strengths could include:

• A renewed focus on still images rather than mimicking TikTok with video
• Investments in camera technology, filters, and editing tools
• Monetisation and shopping features tailored to physical products versus disposable content
• Influencers emphasise art direction, aesthetic, and production value
• Showcasing travel/architecture/design/fashion photography
• Partnerships with iconic photographers and artists
• Music as supporting ambience rather than the primary audio focus

Rediscovering its north star around visual creativity and communities could help Instagram recapture magic lost amid constant feature bombardment.

TikTok – The Home for Cultural Trends

TikTok's meteoric rise proves the power of its core short video loop formula to captivate massive audiences. Maintaining cultural relevance will require the following:

• Persistent optimisation of the recommendation algorithm to keep it unpredictable
• Providing creators with diverse revenue streams, including tips, subscriptions, commerce, and branded content
• Curation of featured videos that capture trending memes but also showcase marginalised voices
• Community support and wellness features to maintain a welcoming environment
• Expansion into messaging, games, AR, and other features without losing focus on the main feed

Staying true to a creatively democratic, video-first experience will be vital as diversification tempts TikTok away from its winning formula.

YouTube – The Stage for Personality-Driven Video

YouTube remains synonymous with long-form videos built around creator personalities and brands. But competition from bite-sized video apps looms.

YouTube can play to intrinsic strengths via:

• Spotlighting diverse creator journeys from unknown hobbyist to global sensation
• Developing interactive choose-your-own-adventure style videos
• Launching a range of new documentary formats built around insider access
• Investing in live shopping capabilities that tap into video's power to sell
• Exploring integration with 3D and virtual spaces

YouTube's foundations as a video archive with clips structured in channels still form a unique ecosystem that other formats can't easily displace.

X (Twitter) – The Pulse of What's Happening Now

X sets itself apart through real-time, text-first updates on current events and culture. However, given stagnant user growth, its future direction remains to be determined.

Changes that could reignite interest include:

• Turning Moments into a spotlight on local happenings in major cities
• Expanding live audio talk shows around trending topics
• Adding more multiplayer, conversational gaming experiences
• Letting users post from other apps into the X timeline
• Implementing credibility indicators on accounts related to news, politics, and science

X still has unmatched opportunities to provide a window into the zeitgeist if it can move beyond negative discourse.

Key Predictions and Takeaways

The coming years promise an eventful and competitive era as social apps battle for attention and dollars while adapting to augmented and virtual realities. Several vital themes will define social media in 2024 and beyond:

• Video, audio, messaging, and virtual spaces diversify social networking beyond static feeds
• Buying directly through social platforms disrupts ecommerce
• The rise of multi-platform creator collectives shifts power to talent
• Privacy and accountability pressures force concrete reforms
• Virtual influencers and facial recognition raise ethical questions

Amidst the turmoil and innovation, building authentic communities and human connection should remain the north star guiding social media's future evolution.

Social Media Trends FAQs

Here are some common FAQs about social media trends in 2024: