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5 Social Media Trend Predictions for 2022

Social media is consistently changing. Here’s our top five social media trend predictions for 2022.

Silence & Focus

The increased reliance on our smartphones and social media usage over the last year and a half have brought social media’s effects on mental health into full focus, especially for those under 25. A suite of new features available on our devices as well as platform options such as ‘Take a Break’ or the ability to monitor and set limits for teens are coming in 2022 and will be part of the efforts of these platforms to be more responsible and transparent in the attention economy. 

What does this mean for brands and marketers? Understand that usage numbers and ROI may change. Increased competition for fewer eyeballs may become something of note if these time reduction tools and tactics become successful at redirecting people’s attention. 

Creators vs Influencers

Marketers have more resources to tap into than ever before when it comes to placing their products in front of new social media audiences. Gone are the days of solely celebrity endorsement or influencers. While social platforms are already heavily investing in resources and revenue streams for content creators, working with creators will continue to be on the rise in 2022. 

So what’s the difference between influencers and creators? An influencer operates essentially as word of mouth at scale. Influencers do often create content, which can make the distinction confusing, but influencers are often more focused on audience engagement, promotions, and brand image to sustain and grow their engaged communities. Content creators aren’t necessarily measured on reach or viewership, but the quality and caliber of their content. Content is often entertaining or educational and doesn’t always correlate to a direct promotion or sale. 

More Lo-fi Access 

If the pandemic taught marketers and creators one thing it’s that the relevance of the content is more important than the quality. Without the ability to shoot and gather in larger productions people began shooting content in their homes, with what they had, or sharing live stream interviews without the polish and prep they were used to and….people still watched. With the launch of apps like Clubhouse that operate similar to listening to a phone call this trend remains on the rise and it’s unlikely that brands will go back to paying big production bucks when it’s not needed. 

How can you tap into this trend? Create more vertical and phone quality content, just make sure it’s trending or relevant to your audience. 

More Online Shopping 

As we head into 2022 online shopping and initiating a purchase online has become normative purchasing behavior. Knowing this, the social platforms will continue pushing sales and online shopping as a key feature. It’s a continuation of a years-long shift in social platforms to marketing channels. Making it easier for businesses to run ads and make sales without interrupting their scroll. Even emerging properties are making shopping a priority as we head into the new year, with Tik Tok continually testing ways to integrate shopping into the experience.

What does this mean for marketers? If you have a product, sell it on social media. The platforms are continuing to invest in sales and selling in situation. They will only continue to prioritize this revenue generating tactic and features. If you’re going to try and continue to get sales by using static sales posts you’ll be missing potential reach and direct to consumer sales. 

Cause Driven Relevance 

The hottest topics on social media over the past year have been environmental, mental health, and inclusivity. Consumers and readers are now expecting to know where brands and companies stand on these issues and look to their social media to only be entertained, but educated on if the company aligns with their values and missions. These topics aren’t going anywhere and will only become more integral into brand success moving forward. 

As marketers you need to know which social issues mean the most to you and your target and not only be prepared to share, but go into detail in what you’re doing to make an impact. Consumers have set high standards for brands when it comes to social responsibility and social media has become one arena where that is no exception.