The Future of Social Media – What You Should Expect in 2024?

Influencer, marketer, or a brand–it doesn’t matter what you represent on social media to wonder what’s awaiting in order to adapt yourself and stay ahead. In our modern world, being able to keep up to date and understand the trajectory of social media is crucial, especially in the digital world. Given that social media is one of the most impactful forces in our lives, it becomes even more crucial to become farsighted.

Therefore, I will try to explain some key predictions for the future of social media to assist you in refining your strategies, and providing insights. Let’s explore the five predictions for the future of social media!

1. User Behaviors Shape and Affected by Social Media

From the beginning of social media, a milestone was the establishment of Six Degrees, which will lead to the development of social media platforms. Yes, Six Degrees opened the way for TikTok, Instagram, and others by laying the groundwork.  

Our content consumption habits and social media are like a two-way street. Social media affects our way of consuming content and conversely, our preferences change social media. We can comprehend the former one’s effects by observing our preferences for watching considerably short-form videos.

The popularity of short-form video content on platforms like TikTok reflects our decreasing attention spans and preference for quick content. Meanwhile, our incline to demand more and more authenticity also shapes and will continue to shape social media, too.

Therefore, on TikTok, you can tailor your content to meet this demand for authentic, short video content with a strong storyline to gain more followers. Click here to connect with your new audience and show your content!

The Rise of Small Social Media Platforms According to User Demand

What social media users now want is for vast platforms to be replaced by small and dense communities, specifically catering to their users being more focused. In the near future, the emergence of platforms for like-minded interests is expected to increase.

Think of one of the dedicated platforms, Letterboxd, where only people who love watching movies meet and share their film reviews. What people need here are more targeted social media platforms offering personalized content.

It seems that there will probably be a rise in small and focused new platforms rather than one-size-fits-all platforms. Also, with these new platforms focusing on smaller communities and offering authentic experiences, there will likely be a relief from social pressure.

2. Micro and Nano Influencer Domination

Again, another prediction about the future of social media centers around authenticity. Brands begin to look more favorably upon making collaborations with smaller-scale influencers like micro and nano influencers. Even though they have a smaller follower base compared to macro influencers, they establish a closer connection with their audience.

Compared to macro influencers, who have a larger audience base, micro influencers reach their audience more easily are more dedicated, and are considered niche influencers. Their status as niche influencers makes it easier for them to open up to new specific opportunities. For example, a nutrition performance brand will be more inclined to align with a fitness influencer.

Therefore, they are considered cost-effective, and brands prefer to make collaborations with them—micro influencers with 10 to 50K followers and nano influencers with 1 to 10K followers.

3. AI Effect on Social Media

Artificial intelligence is now an undeniable and important part of social media. Most of us are used to it through customer services, from our chats with bots. Moreover, AI’s presence in the digital realm goes beyond that by being integrated into marketers’ work. Also, AI-generated content is becoming more common. However, Google’s core algorithm update in March 2024 is targeting websites that use AI-generated content for penalties. Still, AI is a great option to polish your content. Google tries to reduce the count of unhelpful articles through the update.

4. What to Eat, What to Buy? Let Social Media Users Decide

Especially, Gen Z has begun to leave behind staple Google Maps and turn to social media, especially TikTok. I personally use TikTok when I’m about to buy something. For instance, I enter the brand and the product’s code into the search bar and see reviews from people. Similarly, I get recommendations or look for reviews again, even for lunch, through social media instead of Google Maps or Search. This creates incredible opportunities for marketers, brands, and influencers. I think this will benefit most of the UGC creators on the platform. As one of them, you can get TikTok followers to accelerate your growth!

5. Social Commerce Continues and Grows

I do not remember the last time I went to the mall for shopping. I can find anything I want with just a few clicks online. Especially, Instagram and Facebook have already integrated shopping into them so cleverly that they are my new malls! It is quite easy to find what I want and buy it. Social media platforms provide a different level of engagement that stores cannot do.

Conclusion

As we look ahead, there are plenty of new opportunities that come with significant transformations for the future of social media. One of them is the increase of new, focused social media channels. One-size-fits-all kinds of platforms, the giants of social media, will continue to evolve and succeed, probably. However, it is also probable that there is quite a demand for authenticity on new platforms. Users want forum-like social media platforms where they can gather with their like-minded peers. This shift is not only a result of user demand but also a strategic move.

Also, again because of authenticity, the rise of micro influencers is likely to continue because of the deeper connection they have with their audiences.

AI, on the other hand, has gone beyond customer support robots and is integrated into social media content marketing. However, there will be a tendency to mix AI to enhance content rather than completely creating it by AI, to avoid penalties from Google’s latest updates. And of course, social commerce will exist and grow more by integrating seamless shopping experiences, making it more accessible and easier.