The social media landscape is ultra-competitive and ever-changing.
From platform updates to evolving algorithms to new (or disappearing) features and shifting consumer behaviors, marketers need to constantly adapt to keep up – especially as experts report a fall in organic engagement on social networks.
So there are challenges, but the social arena is also a space for brands to make their mark and engage their customers (old and new) . With so many social media networks to choose from for your marketing activities, it can be difficult to keep up with what’s new and what opportunities are out there for driving brand awareness.
Plus the social media ecosystem is in flux as Meta faces investigation in the EU, has announced plans to stop using fact checkers and scales back its diversity and inclusion initiatives. While over at TikTok, its existence in the U.S hangs by a thread.
It’s our job at the DMI to keep an eye on trends
That’s why we keep in close contact with our range of phone number database experts to find out what’s coming down the line in 2025 in social media marketing. Here are the main things we found.
- The battle between X, Bluesky, and Threads
- AI in social media
- The rise of employee-generated content (EGC)
- Is it the death of hashtags?
- Short-form video dominates
- Customer content overshadows influencers
- Security and regulation on social media
1. The battle between X, Bluesky and Threads
When billionaire Elon Musk bought X in 2022, marketers live rings – helps viewers identify when a channel were unsure what would happen with the platform.
Then X was renamed X and the controversies began. From the return of banned users, allegations of the spread of misinformation and a fight with major advertisers leading to a boycott, it’s been anything but quiet for the social platform.
Social Media Calendar Template 2025
- ↗Generate great content ideas
- ↗Plan & schedule campaigns in advance
- ↗Leverage key dates & trends
- ↗Boost influencer or creator partnerships
” A lot of our clients are seeing very low engagement rates on X and are struggling to get their messages seen. “
All of this has resulted in many
Turning away from the platform to seek alternatives. According global seo work to the Guardian, X lost about 2.7 million active users in the U.S in just two months following the US election in November 2024. The social media platform Bluesky gained nearly 2.5 million over the same period.
Developed by X’s Founder, Jack Dorsey, Bluesky is a decentralized platform that allows users to post short messages, images, and videos. It’s similar to X and is simple to use which seems to be a draw for many people.
With over 26 million users and counting, Bluesky is providing a real alternative to X and acts as a lobby to the open web. Many companies have started accounts on the platform such as Netflix, Duolingo and the Guardian (after they publicly abandoned X), while others have reserved user handles, including Red Bull and Xbox.
While BlueSky is currently in the spotlight, another platform is gaining more ground in terms of user numbers. Threads currently has 275 million users: this is some feat seeing that it only launched in 2023.
One advantage that Threads has over the others is that it’s part of the Meta machine and built by the Instagram team. And there are big plans to enable brands to market on Threads as more companies get traction amongst users such as Reddit with 191k followers.