Top Social Media Trends to Watch in 2023

Alyssa Stevens, Director of PR & Social Media

TikTok’s Popularity Will Continue to Grow

We’ll see even more brands capitalize on the platform’s viral nature from both a creator collaboration and owned channel standpoint. With Instagram trying to keep up by prioritizing Reels (and as a result, turning off the influencer community with its algorithm changes) and Twitter ending Q4 in a period of unrest, TikTok will be the platform of choice for both creators and brands. The platform’s captive audience, paired with its increased efforts to support its creator community, foster the perfect environment for brands looking to gain brand awareness through engaging, short-form video content.

The Roles of Creators vs. Influencers 

We expect to see brands’ investment towards influencer marketing increase. Creators and Influencers are the editorial and advertising mediums of the future, and we will continue to see brands leverage their creativity, content creation skills, and audience. While the terms “influencer” and “creator” have become somewhat interchangeable, we’ll begin to see clearer delineations between the two, especially in terms of how brands use them. Brands will tap into creators as a content vehicle, utilizing that content to power their social media, website, paid social, and the like. Separately, brands will look to influencers to rent their audience as a way to bring greater awareness to their brand and that content. Both creators and influencers are equally important to the social equation and brands that “win” will know how to capitalize on the strengths of both. 

Shift in Attitude Towards Social Media Usage

We’ll see a shift to more interest-focused rather than social-focused social media usage. With the mass adoption of TikTok and the amount of time that people spend on the app, we’re seeing a major shift in how people are utilizing social media. Users head to TikTok to view and engage with content around their interests — which is typically not created by people that they actually know in real life. Creator content, which the “For You Page” prioritizes based on user behavior on the app, allows for connection around common interests, forming online communities around those topics. With users spending upwards of 95 minutes a day on TikTok, we will begin to watch more brands join the movement of curating interest-based content to ensure that they are better integrated into the future of social media. We’ll also see creators narrow in on more specific niches for their own content as a way to reach audiences who align with their subject matter. 

Influencers Expand Outside of Social Platforms  

More and more, brands will leverage their influencer partners for creative campaigns, in-person appearances and events, product collaborations and capsule collections. Influencers have become celebrities in their own right and that star power can benefit a brand well beyond a social media post. Additionally, influencer-generated content will find itself playing a bigger role on brands’ websites as a more authentic way to illustrate products and offerings. 

Short Videos Will Outperform Long-Form Content

Short-form video is here to stay and brands who want to continue to make an impact on social media need to incorporate more of it into their social strategy. While time spent on social media continues to increase, consumer attention spans dwindle. Users now want to be entertained and engaged within the first few moments of their social experience with your brand. Videos tend to get stronger engagements and views and social media platforms, like Instagram, are prioritizing video content over static images. We expect to see more and more brands collaborate with creators who are comfortable shooting and editing short-form video content to help them win in this new content landscape.