Avocado Social’s Top Social Media Trends for 2025: A Quick Summary

In December 2024 we hosted our annual social media trends webinar forecasting our top social media marketing trends for the year ahead.

These are our top 10 predictions for 2025:

1. Short-Form Video Content Dominates 🎥
2. AI-Powered Social Media Marketing 🤖
3. The Battle of Bluesky, X and Threads 🔝
4. Authenticity Over Perfection ✨
5. The Rise of EGC 👩💻
6. Collaborative Advertising 🤝
7. The Death of Hashtags #️⃣
8. The Power of Verified and Pro ✅
9. Stricter Social Media Safety 🔒
10. Dark Social 🌚

In Summary

• Video remains king, especially short-form vertical videos under 60 seconds. Brands are using quick product demos, interactive challenges, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and event coverage to keep audiences engaged.
• Audio is also important, with music boosting ad performance.
• AI is transforming the industry, supporting tasks from content creation to data analysis. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, and Google’s NotebookLM are becoming increasingly popular. Meta and TikTok are integrating AI into their advertising platforms for better targeting and creative tools. However, there are concerns about privacy, ethics, and the potential for repetitive content.
• The race to replace X is on, with Blue Sky attracting journalists and news organisations, while Threads focuses on non-political content. Blue Sky offers custom algorithmic feeds and user-controlled moderation, but faces challenges with a smaller audience. The Guardian Media Group has ceased posting on X, citing toxicity, and is actively engaging on Blue Sky.
• Authenticity is key. Lo-fi content, user-generated content (UGC), and employee-generated content (EGC) are gaining traction, building trust and humanising brands.

• Collaborative advertising: Brands are partnering with influencers, other brands, and even employees to maximise content reach.
• The decline of hashtags: Hashtags are becoming less effective for reach, with search-optimised captions gaining importance.
• The rise of search-ranked content: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are becoming search engines, requiring brands to optimise their captions and keywords.
• Premium social media subscriptions: Platforms are offering premium subscriptions with benefits like verification badges, enhanced visibility, and access to analytics.
• Social media safety and policy updates: Platforms are implementing safety features and policies to combat misinformation and address mental health concerns, especially for younger users.
• The growth of dark social: Private spaces like broadcast channels and Facebook groups are seeing increased engagement, offering opportunities for community building and exclusive content.

Overall, the social media landscape in 2025 will continue to evolve rapidly. By staying informed and adapting to these trends, marketers can effectively engage their audiences and achieve meaningful results.