2025 Social Media Predictions: Platforms + Content Formats

Today is a special edition of ICYMI, sharing the results of the 2025 Social Media Predictions Survey.

Over 240 of you shared your picks for:

• Top social platforms
• Priority content formats
• Trending topics and social shifts that will define 2025

This week’s top social headlines are still included down below — but first, see where and how you expect to be making waves on social next year!

Also, I hope you’ll join me next week for a Sprout Social ✨ 2025 Social Predictions ✨ live session. Come chat about the opportunities (and challenges) ahead! 🎟️ RSVP here

📲 YOUR CHOICES FOR TOP PLATFORMS

Instagram (43.8%) is the platform that people plan to prioritize next year, winning this category by a landslide. The choice is not exactly a surprise. The Meta-owned platform regularly shows up on the list of teens’ favorite platforms and is where the majority of influencer marketing dollars are spent.

What I couldn’t have predicted was LinkedIn (20.4%) coming in second, followed by TikTok (18.3%), YouTube (10.8%) and Facebook (4.6%) rounding out the top five.

The briefcase app (as Jayde I. Powell coined it) is having a glow-up. This year LinkedIn hit 1B users, has consistently ranked as one of the most trusted social media platforms and is the lead platform for B2B marketers. Beyond that, it’s a growing destination for Gen Z and creators.

“I've finally convinced our bosses X is not going to be a value-add to remain. And we are not just pivoting to Threads. The shift is to LinkedIn, and away from anything that throttles dialogue. That's why we're on social!” commented one anonymous respondent.

There’s not a major difference in the secondary platforms you’ll be posting to next year. Instagram (30.8%) still leads, followed by TikTok (21.2%), LinkedIn (16.2%), YouTube (12.1%) and Facebook (9.6%).

While Pinterest didn’t make a big dent as a primary platform (1.2%), more people selected the app as a secondary platform (4.6%).

I left alternatives, such as Bluesky, Substack, Roblox and Reddit, off the list — and people noticed:

“I think not including Substack as a social media platform is a miss,” one person commented.

“Roblox is becoming more of a focus for us!” another wrote. “Bluesky is popping off and we're quite active there,” shared another.

Entertainment attorney Michael (Mikey) Glazer protested the lack of Reddit respect: “We get programmatic, hyper targeted ads there and it feels the least algorithmic, most genuine, most human, of all the platforms.”

The write-ins highlight how fractured the social media landscape has become, pushing marketers to rethink their strategies.

“In 2025 we're focused on meeting consumers where they are instead of trying to get them to come to us. Think keyword searches, subreddits and out-of-the-box influencers creating unique content,” commented Mikayla Barker , Senior Manager of Social Media and Influencer Marketing at Bachan's.

Also taking a more flexible approach, Trade School’s creator strategy director, Nicole Taic responded: “The impending TikTok ban is currently a moving target for some of our clients… They are also exploring and testing emerging platforms like Substack to see if there is a positive return. With that in mind, I'm very zeroed in on what other key platforms are rolling out over the next few months to inform how we pivot some of our plans.”

Related: X Is Elon’s World. Threads Is a Mess. Is Bluesky Any Better?

🎥 YOUR CHOICE FOR TOP CONTENT FORMAT

Even as we’re seeing people embrace a return to long-form storytelling and video podcasts, short-form video (46.7%) remains your top choice for content format. That’s followed by mid-form video (16.7%), which I defined as up to 10 minutes, photos and carousels (13.8%), newsletters (7.1%) and text-based content (5%).

Production of this content will be lo-fi in vibes but not in looks, commented Anonymous Millennial: "Higher-end production for organic content on social will become the norm for brands and creators, not just campaigns.”

This ties in to advice given recently at a creator-only TikTok summit to: “prioritize production value with high-quality visuals,” reported Amanda Perelli .

Related: Inside TikTok's Invite-Only Creator Summit: Long-Form Video and High-Quality Content

🗓️ 📌 MARK YOUR CALENDARS

2025 era loading…

From your predictions to my perspective, let’s talk about how you can actually navigate the year ahead.

Join me for an episode of Sprout Social’s Enter the Chat.

You can expect timely insights, approachable advice and a practical discussion about the opportunities (and challenges) ahead. This isn’t a crystal ball moment — it’s a collaborative conversation!

RSVP now to join us live on Thursday, Dec. 12

🔥 2025 HOT TOPICS

AI technology is inevitable. “I can't waste any more time worrying over its existence,” wrote marketer Kelly Egan , adding, “Now's the time to seize, refine, and regulate it for the betterment of humankind.”

But interest in AI content is mixed, especially around generative AI and its threat to creators.

“Platforms and tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, etc. can only improve and I think the part A.I. plays in asset creation and writing will significantly increase,” commented PR executive AJ Feuerman . “Yet I can’t help but wonder if consumers will notice and how that will change their loyalties.”

Given the onslaught of AI content slop, “authenticity and authority are the only 'A' words I care about,” wrote one anonymous respondent. “I'm encouraging creators to lean into more live/stories to share more of themselves.”

While AI might increase our efficiency and productivity, leveraging your humanity when it comes to content creation was a recurring theme:

“I believe that human connections play a crucial role in content creation. Fostering empathy, compassion, and other genuine emotions is essential for the organic growth of profiles. After all, the best algorithm is the human one,” responded another anonymous person.

Related: Spotify Wrapped 2024: Bogged Down By Generative AI

“Memes. In this economy?” While most respondents believed meme marketing would continue to thrive in 2025, not everyone was so sure. “I think we're entering our serious era,” wrote Anonymous. “Memes in marketing will take a backseat as we go into 2025 because audiences are tired of brands jumping on trends for relatability.”

Digital marketing director Chris Lam took a pragmatic approach:

“With the way the election results have set up the next four years, I see two things happening: More memes, more entertainment, more escape through social media/online content; And less people on social media because of fatigue from being inundated when they pick up their phones.”

👥 THE POWER OF COMMUNITIES

Community development will take center stage next year, with more attention on nurturing spaces that foster trust and interaction.

“I think more and more attention will be given to community development. Communities play a crucial role in shaping public opinion about a brand, individual, or product. And right now, we have all the necessary tools to build a sustainable, active community,” wrote Tatiana Leonteva.

🧠 BRAIN ROT FATIGUE

Despite being named Oxford’s Word of the Year, the brain rot movement may not define the narrative much longer.

“I think 2026 will be a renaissance towards long-form reading, more Substacks, YouTube, television, and magazines. People will hit brain rot fatigue,” predicted TA, looking even further ahead toward more intentional, meaningful online engagement.

Related: Big Ideas to Get Excited About In 2025

🌟 CREATOR ARE STILL A PRIORITY

Almost 80% of you will be prioritizing creators and creator content next year. But there’s a vast range of concerns when it comes to influencer marketing, creator partnerships and UGC depending on your role in the creator economy.

Here are some of the highlights:

“Name, Image, and Likeness rights are going to be very important in contracts in the wake of AI. Creators should go through those with a fine tooth comb and be prepared to say no to unfair terms,” wrote talent manager Chris Ryan .

“Brands are still follower-centric when selecting influencers for a specific campaign, and it's really limiting creativity and choices… I'm still seeing brands obsessed with reach, and not necessarily thinking about the full suite of benefits that influencers can support on: creative, sentiment, SEO, sales, community-building etc!” commented influencer marketing specialist Sarah Penny .

“In this post-election reflection era, my prediction is that brands and advocacy orgs will be reevaluating the value in putting money into creators for major campaigns by questioning if they really did have an influence on new audiences and encouraging calls to action… Should we now be focusing on organic social and finding new audience members through new, more simple messaging tactics,” questioned social media director kailey T. .

“I believe that with lower production costs and barriers to entry curators, taste-makers, and other editors will play a larger role in sifting through the creator economy and helping consumers match-make with the content they are interested in,” shared creator attorney Brittany Ratelle 🔜 Vidsummit .

Related: 6 Influencer Marketing Predictions For 2025

Anything else I missed out on? Leave your 2025 predictions below! And much thanks to everyone who participated — I’ll be comping paid Substack subscriptions to the people quoted here!

👀 ICYMI TOP HEADLINES

This is a condensed version of the newsletter — the regular format will resume next week.

• Instagram Broadcast Channels will now allow fans to reply to messages and each other in a secondary thread nested within an IGBC message. It’s part of several new Broadcast Channel updates just announced.
• Pop culture experiences are now propelled by franchises and properties originated by creators and adopted by online communities, according to YouTube’s new 2024 Global Culture & Trends Report.
• In 2025, more is more. Pinterest just released its annual trend report, Pinterest Predicts, which has more people leaning toward bold forms of expression and maximalism. PS. The company points out it has an impressive 80% accuracy rate for spotting upcoming trends!
• The Chocolate Muffin Olympian, Sabrina Carpenter and "very demure, very mindful" creator Jools Lebron all got a nod in TikTok’s end of the year recap: Year on TikTok 2024.
• Spotify released Spotify Wrapped, including a Wrapped for Creators category celebrating the most popular podcasts. The Joe Rogan Experience was the top video podcast globally for 2024, followed by Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy.
• LinkedIn is allowing select users to boost individual posts, giving the ability to increase visibility, grow followers, and get more website clicks. This feature is currently in test mode.
• Threads will offer Insights on individual posts, as part of a limited test. People who have the feature will be able to see the breakdown of views and interactions by followers and non-followers and see the number of new follows that resulted from it.
• Twitch is rolling out an updated Clip creation flow on mobile, making it easier to share Clips to social media.
• Forbes released its 30 Under 30 feature, including a social media category that lists the creators pioneering the future of the Internet through content, research and advocacy.
• FYPM (a creator payment transparency app) now allows creators to request brand contact info. Creators who have opted in will have their profiles and contact info shared and the request will get flagged for the brand to respond.
• The Australian government banned children under 16 from using social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat. Whether it can be enforced remains in question. We’ll all be watching.
• Five creators shared how to plan for time off during the holiday season — planning is a big part of it but don’t waste time checking on your content. […closes my Stories]
• Over 50% of US shoppers have discovered new brands or products from influencers this holiday season, according to a new 2024 Holiday Shopping Trends report from the Influencer Marketing Factory.
• Why are there only three adult women among the world’s top 50 YouTubers? That’s the question ThoughtLeaders , a YouTube data platform, tackled in a new limited-series podcast: Who Killed the Female YouTube Star? It’s a fascinating, if frustrating, series that examines the data and anecdotal stories behind the imbalance, plus offers strategies to close the gender gap.

Let’s show some love to the women crushing it on YouTube! Who’s on your must-watch list? Drop their names in the comments!