With users spending more time on social media than ever, these platforms are evolving and adapting their features to meet user demands. These shifts impact both how brands create content and what kinds of content to publish. This year, social media trends will focus on community building, a return to long-form videos and new tools that facilitate ecommerce. These social media trends aren’t new, but they will become more important for marketers in 2025.
A new wave of influencers is redefining authenticity. Audiences, particularly Gen Z, want to connect with brands that are honest and transparent about their products. The biggest social media trends in 2025 will be those that prioritize authentic content and highlight the human side of a brand.
Long-form video is making a comeback as more platforms offer longer lengths of YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok videos. Authenticity is also the key to success in TikTok, where videos that have a strong call-to-action and emotion drive more engagement.
Social media platforms are also embracing niche communities by offering private or subscription-based content. For example, TikTok creator Chris Olsen created his private account dubbed “Club Chris” to share exclusive content and encourage discussion with his audience. Other creators are using features like Instagram Broadcast Channels, Close Friends and LinkedIn Groups to foster conversations with their audiences. New networks are launching to capitalize on this trend, such as Threads which offers a politics-free zone and Bluesky which recreates the original Twitter experience with decentralized technology.