Social Media Trends Impacting the Tech Industry

Social media is going through a major shift—platforms are evolving, AI is everywhere, and brands are rethinking what actually works. Here's what I heard from top industry experts at Social Media Outlook last week in DC, including Joseph Ferguson (The Washington Post), Gina F. (Charles Schwab), Paige Hopkins (Axios), and Avery Whitehead (Former Deputy Director of Platforms, The White House), moderated by Paul Sherman (Potomac Tech Wire)... 🤖 AI is changing everything—but it’s not a magic fix. AI-generated engagement (bots commenting on bots) is making community management trickier. And while AI can speed up content creation, it still falls short on research and credibility—meaning teams often spend more time fact-checking than if they’d done the work themselves. 📲 TikTok vs. YouTube: Two very different plays. TikTok = fast trends, fast virality. YouTube = strategy, depth, and long-term audience building. TikTok might get you quick wins, but YouTube is where real brand loyalty is built—if you put in the effort. 💡 Facebook isn’t dead (even if some of us wish it was). 33% of people still get their news on Facebook. It’s shaping public opinion and can’t be ignored. Companies like Charles Schwab are using it strategically to educate and build community, proving there’s still opportunity if you have the right approach. 📉 Overhyped strategies in 2025 (according to panelists): - Spending big on influencers—micro-influencers with trust deliver better ROI. - Hashtags—platform algorithms already understand context without them. - Long videos—short, straight-to-the-point content still dominates. - Trying to be a “cool brand” when it’s just not authentic. People can tell. Biggest takeaway: Trust and engagement matter more than ever. Comment sections are the new newsfeed. Conversations drive momentum. And SEO-optimized keywords inside platforms (not just on Google) are key for discoverability. Every trend isn’t for every brand—so focus on what actually moves the needle. Which of these trends caught you by surprise? Anything you're relieved to hear?

The social media landscape is evolving rapidly, and I'm seeing something fascinating: the fusion of digital and physical worlds. Here's what you need to know: The big insight: While giants like Meta and ByteDance dominate the mainstream, the real innovation is happening in "IRL to URL" and vice versa platforms that bridge online and offline experiences. Here's what's driving the next wave of social apps: 🤝 IRL to URL Revolution - Partiful is exploding (3M MAU, $400M valuation in Series B) - Gen Z is rejecting passive social media for active connection - New platforms focus on maintaining relationships post-meetup - Cross-generational appeal: From teens to 60+ year-olds 🎯 Intentional Connection - Moving beyond content consumption to real relationships - Focus on effort and thoughtfulness in digital interactions - AI-powered tools helping maintain authentic connections - Emphasis on small gestures: shared memes, dinner plans, experiences 👨🎤 Creator Economy Integration - Substack Notes enables writers to build intimate communities - New social apps prioritizing creator-first features - Direct creator-to-community connections becoming standard 🔐 Platform Evolution - Mastodon (10M users) and Bluesky leading decentralization - BeReal championing authenticity - Discord (150M MAU) proving community-first works - Emerging platforms focusing on relationship maintenance 💰 Business Model Innovation - High retention trumping immediate monetization - Freemium + premium features working well - TikTok's commerce integration success (1.69B MAU) - Subscription models thriving across platforms The numbers tell the story: - Instagram: 2B MAU - TikTok: 1.69B MAU - LinkedIn: 930M MAU - Partiful: 3M MAU (and growing fast) Key prediction: The next wave of successful social platforms won't just connect people online OR offline – they'll excel at nurturing relationships across both spaces, making digital interaction feel as natural as meeting for coffee. What I'm watching: - AI tools for relationship maintenance - Cross-platform integration - Intentional social features - Community-building tools - Digital-physical experience fusion - Post-meetup engagement solutions Whether you're building, investing, or marketing, understanding this shift is crucial. The future isn't about choosing between digital or physical connection – it's about seamlessly blending both. Thoughts? How are you seeing the IRL to URL evolution play out in your network? #SocialMedia #Community #FutureOfSocial #DigitalTrends #StartupOpportunities #TechTrends (Based on comprehensive market research and emerging social trends)

We may be witnessing the “Tiktokification” of everything, as 64% of Gen Z use TikTok as their search engine ahead of Google. In a recent study by Adobe, encompassing different generations, TikTok emerges as the favored search engine for - discovering new recipes - exploring music - obtaining DIY tips - seeking advice on fashion, beauty, and workouts. The top 10 reasons provided for using TikTok over traditional search engines include: The short-video format is more informative and digestible. “I enjoy the storytelling aspect of TikTok videos.” The content is more personalized. The information is more current. I enjoy the interactive and immersive experience. It's more integrated into my social-media browsing habits. It curates diverse perspectives and unique ideas. It offers a sense of community and interaction. It provides more user reviews and experiences. I can see products in the real world. What resonates with this is that it’s no longer business as usual. The old ways are gone. Here are some takeaways businesses can adopt from these developments: 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨u𝐫𝐬: User preferences evolve. Stay attuned to trends and be flexible in adapting to meet the needs of your target audience. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬: Let’s face it; social media is the new public square. Consider how your products can seamlessly integrate into users' daily routines and social media behaviour. 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐬: Experiment with formats that resonate with your audience, keeping in mind the evolving landscape of digital media consumption. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐲: Personalized content is a driving factor behind TikTok's popularity. Invest in understanding your audience's preferences and tailor offerings accordingly to create a more personalized user experience. 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠: Consider incorporating storytelling into your marketing and communication strategies, creating compelling narratives that engage and resonate with your audience. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 & 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭: Users value the currency of information on TikTok. Prioritize staying current and relevant in your industry.   𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: TikTok offers a sense of interaction. Foster a community around your brand, encourage user engagement, and create a sense of belonging among your customers. 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭s: Regularly monitor the performance of different strategies, including short-format videos, and interpret the results. This data-driven approach helps startups refine their tactics based on what resonates most with their audience. While TikTok still has grounds to cover to fully challenge Google as a search engine, it has shown its abilities with the generational shift. The Tiktokification of everything beckons.

One of the most interesting trends that we’ve seen emerge recently is consumers (especially younger consumers) turning to social media as a search engine. The stat that really illustrates this shift is that Gen Z’ers are now using TikTok and Instagram more than Google to perform searches. The one platform that hasn’t gotten as much coverage - but could be potentially just as disruptive - is Reddit. Reddit’s scale is enormous, with 82.7MM daily users and a staggering amount of content being created by Redditors each day on every imaginable topic. And since this content is created by real people who are part of unique communities (AKA subreddits), we see that consumers are increasingly turning to the platform for advice and real feedback. One interesting behavior that has emerged is that searchers are adding the word “reddit” to the end of their Google searches to prioritize results from the platform and to cut through some of the noise of unhelpful links.   Matt’s Hot Take™ - Broadly speaking, technology has trained us to live in an “on-demand” culture making search behaviors incredibly important for marketers to understand. Search has been a core part of the digital ecosystem for years, but with advances in technology and changing behaviors, it’s evolving quickly. While searching for objective information like, “how many hot dogs did Joey Chestnut eat on July 4th?” still works best on Google, more subjective queries like, “are hot dog eating contests fun to attend?” are increasingly drawing consumers to social media. Oh, and in case you were wondering… 57 & yes. These platforms are helping searchers get feedback from people like them and are a way to bypass a lot of the search-optimized and paid content on Google that can be less helpful in answering nuanced questions. In sum, marketers must ensure they understand the conversations happening about their brands and are front-footed in producing and fostering brand content via their communities across platforms because Google is no longer the internet’s single source-of-truth. #search #social #reddit Check out last week's newsletter where we also explore how Amazon is planning to fend off low-cost rivals: https://bit.ly/4eY49zg Subscribe inside the newsletter link for more!