As 2024 is just around the corner and as trends continue to alter the social media landscape, marketers will need to maneuver through a continuously changing and dynamic digital environment, maybe more intensely than ever before.
In this short overview, we will share our predictions for social media trends in 2024 and offer some advice on how you can adapt your marketing strategies and stay on top of the social media game while keeping up with all the algorithms. Without further ado, let us dig in!
AI everywhere — hot or not in 2024?
How to stay on top of social media trends? Not even AI can give a simple answer to that. However, we are certain that AI-generated influencer avatars introduced in 2023 will fully develop in 2024 and that we can easily anticipate a new era of interactions between AI and influencers in 2024, defined by a more hyper-personalized kind of engagement.
Meta AI Personas offer fans tailored experiences that were previously unthinkable by enabling direct engagement. AI Personas such as “Billie,” a digital replica of Kendall Jenner, allow consumers to interact with digital copies of their favorite influencers and celebrities.
Source: Instagram
In 2024, Meta’s AI Personas will represent an extensive transition from general influence to individualized, one-on-one interactions that will bring up the sense of authenticity and a special relation with each and every user. We will be able to have a conversation with the virtual doppelganger of our favorite influencer, get some advice or hear jokes personalized to our sense of humor.
Still, the purpose of these AI-powered influencers is not to replace the original influencer accounts. Rather, trends in social media are shifting our relation with influencers and the expectations that fans have of them. Best to keep that in mind while creating your strategies.
However, when it comes to content creation preferences, users are bothered by the inability to recognize what is truly authentic and what is AI among the content posted on social media. The latest social media craze is all about AI futuristic visuals and fashion brands are taking full advantage of it. But when the line between AI and reality is blurred, that is when problems arise. These opinions are in line with a 2023 Pew Research Center report on the growing prevalence of artificial intelligence in daily life. According to the study, 45% of American adults are both excited and concerned about this, although only 18% are more excited than concerned and 37% are more concerned than excited.
When people learn the content was generated using an artificial intelligence program, 62% of them claim they are less likely to interact with and trust it. Different generations interact with AI-generated content in different ways. Thus, in order to create a strategy that aligns with the values and preferences of their target audience, brands need a thorough understanding of them. Artificial intelligence experiments work better with younger viewers, whereas older audiences require greater diligence.
UGC over the perfection obsession
In a feed that is overly stimulating, extravagantly produced, and compellingly storytelling, there is a draw to content that centers around the incredibly normal, grounded, and more “human”. Generation Z, who are tired of perfection, is the number one supporter of this kind of content.
Customer love for user-generated content (UGC) will grow in 2024 as a result of its perceived authenticity and reliability. Audiences on social media will begin to listen more to actual people they can relate to. Consumers want those who have purchased the product or service to talk about it, not the brand explaining what it performs. People will pay more attention to the voices of everyday individuals.
So, the secret to success is to combine UGC with high-quality content and artificial intelligence. The younger generations are the ones who make and watch the most short videos, and they also tend to post the most about brands they adore. If you ask people who work for a particular brand, these are their favorite customers and users. They are also users on Instagram and TikTok who are willing to share their thoughts after using a service or product. User-generated content will therefore surely become even more popular. While brands still believe that they have to present only content that has been highly produced to reach people — a new rule will go into effect in 2024. Believe it or not, it is okay if something looks like it was shot with a phone. Moreover, people are more drawn to and willing to engage with such content.
Has all social media gone TikTok..ish?
Same looks, same formats, same user experiences. In 2024, it will be harder to tell the difference between social media platforms as they imitate their rivals’ popular features in an attempt to draw users into their own digital environment. It is crucial for brands to make compelling investments as uniformity becomes the standard.
Every social media platform had specific characteristics in the past. Twitter was created primarily for brief text messages. Facebook for groups and longer texts. Instagram for images. YouTube for videos. Today, one format rules all platforms: short vertical video.
While video has been talked about for years, very few brands are experts at it. Trends in social media impose the creation of content appropriate for new devices and the optimization of videos to sustain viewership. This will be essential for success in 2024. Tik Tok overall study with the latest data shows that more than 1 in 5 of the world’s adults saw an advert on TikTok during a tested period of 30 days. It means that producing content on this short-video-platform remains one of the most important strategies for the upcoming year. Brands that are adept at interactive experiences and viewer retention will be the ones who stay on the winning side. If this is something you struggle with, check out our tips for creating short video formats.
Catch them if you can but with SEO
The revolutionary TikTok has accustomed its audience, particularly Generation Z, to receive information quickly and in a fun, dynamic way. People’s attention span is very short, and it takes only one to three seconds for us to get bored and scroll away from content. In its peak of trends in social media, short video is a shortcut to viral.
Unlike text and static visuals, video brings dynamics and sound that provide a multi-sensory experience for the viewer. In an information explosion era, the short format is becoming increasingly appealing to consumers in terms of saving precious time and being accustomed that everything is a click away.
That is why the beginning of the video is crucial — it determines user retention, and the algorithm will categorize it according to that data. But, there is another catch — your video can get viral with the appropriate use of SEO in your content.
Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan, who heads Google’s Knowledge & Information organization, addressed popular social networks and trends in social media in his speech at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference on the future of Google’s products and the use of artificial intelligence. Discussing the evolution of search, he noted that younger users are now turning to apps like Instagram and TikTok instead of Google search to find what they need.
Google’s research about trends in social media shows that 40% of young adults (18 to 24 years old) use social media as a search engine. This trend will continue to have a significant impact in 2024, highlighting the brands that invest in their copy. TikTok now integrates Google search results into its in-app results, and the platform has added powerful search tools such as Keyword Insights to its Creative Center. Hootsuite’s research has shown that social media relying on excellent SEO manages to achieve a higher level of engagement with a 30% increase.
Choose wisely
Latest trends in social media show that we are about to witness one very dynamic and interesting year when it comes to content creation and expectations of social media users. The best advice on how to stay on top of social media trends is to pick up what works for your brand. Trying to jump on every trend that comes your way can be counterproductive and may not yield the desired results. The subject of social media is not easy to predict, so if you need some additional help determining which way to incorporate 2024 social media trends in your brand’s strategy, our team is here to help!
