Predicting the State of Social Media

2023 was an impactful year for social media!

In March, we had the CEO of Tik Tok testifying before Congress
Elon Musk. Yes, that is both a name and a sentence. Elon Musk entering the tech space to cause mayhem and destruction.
Then in May, Elon named a new CEO after burning Twitter to the ground
And now, Threads.
And Twitter threatening to SUE Threads.
And much, much more has been happening in the social media/tech space.

Sanity-Check for Social Media Managers

Let’s focus on the positives —

Social media managers will continue to be an in-demand job. And as the need for social media managers grows, so does the importance of the role. The days of “just post on social media,” You do social media for work?” and “That’s a real job?” are long gone. Now, more companies are seeing the benefit of having a fully dedicated social media manager and finding ways to give them more power.
As social media continues to evolve, so does the role. I started my social media marketing journey almost four years ago, and it has never been my role to JUST do social media marketing. Being a social media manager is a highly dynamic job that requires you to have multiple skills. Throughout my career, I’ve increased my photography, video editing, content creation, marketing, strategy, digital media, editing, and content writing skills, to name a few.

Okay, all good things must come to an end, so let’s now focus on the negatives –

via Insider

Yes, there is now ANOTHER social media platform that you MAY have to manage. Social media managers are now “scrambling” to create a social strategy for Threads. For some companies, it’s an easier transition. Those with a robust Twitter strategy can implement the same strategy as Threads. Of course, I’m thinking of Wendy’s; the foul-mouthed account is legendary.
Since Threads is in it’s infant-stage, there is a lot to navigate and test — there will need to be conversations on whether it is feasible to be on Threads? And does it make sense?
The conversation will morph into prioritizing the social media channels you are on. Currently, Threads is solely organic (BUT NOT FOR LONG). If we know Mark like we KNOW MARK, Threads will soon become similar to Instagram, which has become a hub of paid ads and sponsored posts.

Social Media in Q3 and Beyond

Let’s talk about the state of social media in the upcoming months and years and what I predict will come next —

I predict that Meta will strive to monopolize the social media ecosystem. We’ve seen it already with Instagram copying Snapchat with the Stories feature and filters. The failure of Instagram’s attempt to copy BeReal. Let’s not forget Instagram copying Tik Tok with its focus on Reels. (Not going to lie, I selfishly like how well videos have been performing on Instagram for my numbers at work). So Instagram will continue to steal and monopolize ideas. But will Instagram’s audience remain loyal as the platform moves further from what it intended?
Tik Tok – oh, ByteDance – how many more states will ban you? We know there’s been controversy with Tik Tok harvesting and selling our data, and the privacy concerns have caused States in the US to ban the app completely. I’m thinking that Tik Tok/ByteDance has been selling our data to countries and companies so they can better predict and manipulate trends for future consumers. So these companies can start building strategies and pricing models for Gen Alpha, who will be the future job market and consumers.
But back to my prediction, – there is an insidious undercurrent going on at that company that will come to light. Tik Tok is not the only platform hosting these predators (I’m looking at you Meta, Instagram, Pinterest, oh wait, all social media platforms), but Tik Tok is not doing enough to stop it. I predict that news of something EVIL will come to light soon, and it will be related to Tik Tok and the company will rush to spin the good things they are doing to protect children and mental health.
Copying Meta’s copying, Tik Tok has created Lemon8, which is dubbed a mix of Instagram and Pinterest, so I predict that Tik Tok will continue to invest in other projects as a fail-safe as they struggle to keep the lights on.
LinkedIn – oh, LinkedIn, once a platform to dump your resume and pray you get a job, has evolved into this social media platform that attempts to step out of its professional bubble and has failed. LinkedIn has continued to add more features to try to mimic other social platforms, but I honestly think it should just stay in its lane. LinkedIn has begun to prioritize more professional content again since it evolved post-pandemic. During COVID, people were seeking a “human connection”, and LinkedIn became a place where users discussed being laid off, scared, and wanted to share inspirational stories. People dubbed LinkedIn looking more and more like Facebook. I predict that LinkedIn will continue to try to find its own rhymtn in this social media space.