Will BlueSky reign in 2025? Will TikTok be banned (or de-banned)? How will influencers change the game?
As with every new year, social media trends are hard to predict. But we’re going to try.
As we look to 2025, we’ve reflected on lessons learned in 2024. From platforms rising and falling, trends coming and going, and shifts in generational attitude (looking at you, Brat Summer), recurring themes have emerged that can help you shape your social strategy in 2025.
Less micro trends, more eras
It’s challenging to recall the thousands of micro-trends that happened last year—often lasting a mere 24 hours before fading away into obsolescence.
And while TikTok’s M.O. is rooted in micro trends, some brands have leaned so hard into them that they’ve started to shift into cringe territory, peddling products and spurring discussions on overconsumption. And of course, all this has trickled down to the creator economy, leading to the rise of the “de-influencing trend,” which had nearly 730 million views on TikTok. This pushback reflects a growing demand for something more than a trendy meme.
Enter Brat Summer.
Brat Summer was more than a trend. It was an era. Popularized by Charli XCX and creators on TikTok, the Brat Summer movement was characterized by a rebellious aesthetic, bold fashion choices, and carefree attitudes. Startup brands, billion-dollar corporations, and even the White House attempted to capture the “Brat era” moment.
This phenomenon suggests that social media users are more interested in cultural eras than fleeting moments.
Unfortunately, brands don’t create cultural eras. People do. However, if you have a well-defined identity and social strategy that listens to the desires of younger audiences, you can participate in a way that feels authentic. So, in 2025, stop inserting yourself into trend after trend. Instead, think about larger cultural moments and see how your brand fits.
It’s time to pivot away from X and prioritize Reddit for social listening
Since Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover of X in 2022, the platform has been plagued by issues. Considering Twitter was once considered a public service, it’s been jarring for many ex-users to see the platform become an unregulated forum and distribution hub for hate speech.
According to X’s data, users reported 81 million incidents of abuse and harassment and 66 million cases of hate speech during the period. Of those, 1.35% of the abusive accounts (per user reports) were suspended, and 0.004% of those posting hate speech were removed.
This rise in toxicity and user dissatisfaction with the platform has led to X CPMs falling 38% year over year, according to a report from Tracer. Click-thru rates have also fallen 54% over the same period, indicating reduced demand from brands and users. According to Kantar, 26% of marketers have reported plans to reduce ad spend on X in 2025, the largest recorded pullback from any major global ad platform.
-38%
X CPMs
-54%
X Click-thru rates
26%
of marketers to reduce spend on X in 2025
But as one platform falters, another is always just around the corner, looking to capitalize.
Reddit is on a fast-paced trajectory to take a bigger piece of the social media pie. According to a Q2 2024 report, Reddit saw a 54% increase in revenue and expanded its user base by 8.5 million daily active users. This brings its total to 91.2 million daily users, with weekly users rising to 342.3 million—a 57% increase compared to the previous year.
Reddit, a place of community, intrigue, and often NSFW questions, has also been driving many cross-pollinations to other social platforms. The most viral social media trends and conversations start in subreddits, are upvoted and shared on the platform, and then re-shared to other channels like TikTok and Instagram, suggesting that Reddit is becoming a more robust and sophisticated social-sharing platform.
You might perceive Reddit as a challenging or hostile environment for brand participation. We predict, however, that alongside Reddit’s rapid growth is a raised user expectation around brand involvement. In an AMA with the VP of Ad Product Management, Jyoti Vaidee pointed to internal Reddit user research, which found that 60% of Redditors want brands to participate in communities so long as their interactions are relevant and respectful.
If you’re not ready to fully invest in Reddit as a marketing or social platform, you can take small steps to start building your brand presence. Commit to active engagement on the platform, gather feedback from the community, and engage with light banter in relevant communities. These are all great ways to learn the Reddit ropes.
This year, invest in real-time influencer marketing
Real-time influencer marketing is now one of the key drivers for brand success on social, and TikTok and Instagram are your best bets as long as the content feels tailor-made to meet the moment.
The most common opportunity is when creators experience their first few minutes of fame. Find a natural tie-in and move at the speed of culture.
One of the best 2024 examples is Logan Moffitt and DoorDash’s collaboration. This moment led to ~3 million impressions at the height of Logan’s fame and showcased DoorDash as a collaborative, in-tune brand.
You don’t need to seek out the most talked-about creators. Collaborating with niche to mid-sized creators with a dedicated audience is a great way to endear yourself to their community. For example, Lyft partnered with this unusual creator to announce a new safety feature for female passengers.
This creative opportunity isn’t for everybody, but it’s definitely for this creator’s audience. They shared the video widely, amassing over 2 million views on the platform.
Seize these timely opportunities in 2025. They will help you build stronger connections with new audiences—ones seemingly out of reach, boosting your relevance in a rapidly evolving social media landscape.
As ads get scrolled past, creativity and repeatability are king
Next year, adults aged 18-24 are expected to spend an average of 77 minutes per day on TikTok, nearly matching the 86 minutes spent on linear TV. And even if the US TikTok ban goes through, almost a billion people worldwide will have sustained access.
It makes sense that brands are taking bigger swings on the platform by introducing creative series and episodic content on social media. Luxury designer Alexis Bittar’s Margeaux series has made waves, parodying the fashion industry. Episodic series such as Four Favorites by Letterboxd are hotly anticipated by movie lovers.
Not every brand can commit to this level of production and creative storytelling for social media, but this could be a sign of what’s to come as platforms prioritize original video content and brands struggle to appear in users’ feeds.
While having a budget for high-end production helps, the best social teams find ways to stay scrappy and engage in crafts. For example, the DEPT® social team helped Twitch debut Grass Lord at TwitchCon, combining social and experiential marketing into something delightful but economical.
Younger social media audiences want to get back to fun. They care more about creativity than the costs involved. Brands should respond by incorporating excitement, pride, and creativity into social media and brand advertising. And if it’s repeatable, that’s even better.
To capture the newest generation, invest in YouTube
So long are the days of Cartoon Network. Today, kids and their parents are on YouTube.
According to Nielsen, in April 2024, kids aged 2-11 watched YouTube three times as much as they did Disney+ programming. Cocomelon, a popular children’s show, has over 180 million subscribers and is one of the most popular children’s programs today.
YouTube offers a unique advantage over typical mobile social feeds because ads are integrated into the user experience (unless users opt for YouTube Premium). This setup reduces the chances of users being annoyed by ads or leaving the platform. In fact, 31% of kids say YouTube has the “best commercials,” compared to just 18% for broadcast TV. This combined enthusiasm and trust for the platform by a young and receptive audience has led to an increase in purchase requests for younger audiences.
One brand that has benefitted from the strength of this platform is LEGO. In the first six months of 2024, YouTube saw more than 13 billion views of videos related to LEGO. This organic user interest and enthusiasm has led to LEGO becoming one of the most subscribed brand channels on the platform. The channel appeals to both kids and adult fans by featuring a mix of awe-inspiring original content, creator collaborations, and user-generated videos.
Brands looking to break through on the platform could take notes from the most successful creator, Mr. Beast. Regardless of your appetite for his style of content, his audience is young, enthusiastic, and highly engaged. In September, his “Secret Sauce” for YouTube video production was leaked, revealing key insights into his success on the platform.
If you’re committed to reaching younger audiences, deploying a YouTube strategy is a great way to break ground with the next generation.
