The 7 Macro Shifts Reshaping Social Media
From the rise of social search and micro-creators, to the shift toward private sharing and the battle for the next digital town square — this is your cheat sheet to understand what’s really happening
Trying to predict and adjust our approach to every social media platform change feels like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole, but if you zoom out a little, the broader changes across all of the platforms make more sense than you might think.
This edition of SOCIAL 3.0 breaks down the seven macro trends driving the direction of social media and what they mean for anyone building a strategy in 2025.
Let’s get into it 👇
1. The Age of Social Search Has Arrived
According to data from Search Engine Land, more than 60% of Google searches now end without a click. That means discovery is shifting further up the funnel to platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
These platforms are now where discovery starts, whether that’s finding a new skincare brand, deciding on a restaurant, or even which software to buy.
TikTok has quietly launched keyword ad bidding. YouTube is experimenting with native shopping and deep search integration. These aren’t just social platforms anymore, they’re becoming intent engines.
What you can do:
Optimise your content titles and overlays with searchable keywords.
Use TikTok’s Creative Center and Google Trends for YouTube’s search suggestions to guide your content ideas.
2. Trust Is the New Currency: The Rise of Micro Creators
We all know that people buy from people. But we also know that trust is in short supply. We’ve all seen the celebrity endorsements and know BS when we see it. For this reason, nano and micro creators are increasingly being seen by brands as the way to balance genuine advocacy with promotion.
Collaboration beats broadcasting. And those collaborations are now less about “reach” and more about relevance. Creators don’t just bring an audience, they bring belief.
What you can do:
Partner with 5 micro creators instead of one macro, but ensure laser-sharp alignment with your target audience.
Give creators creative control, it builds authenticity and trust with their audience.
Think long-term partnerships, not just one-off posts.
3. Follower Numbers Matter Less Than Ever
Short-form video consumption is exploding and this growth is being driven by recommendation algorithms. Simply put, Meta have realised that people will stay on the platform for longer if they are served content from people they don’t follow. In fact, only 7% of time spent on Instagram is spent watching content from friends (Meta data, 2024). As a result, social media is less about your followers now, and more about how well your content hooks anyone.
This is a discovery-first environment. It’s like every platform has become a TikTok clone. But the real takeaway? You’re not publishing to your followers anymore, you’re publishing to the algorithm.
What you can do:
Hook people in the first 3 seconds, with text, motion, or unexpected visuals.
Reuse content in vertical format to match how each platform wants to serve it.
4. YouTube Shorts: Social’s Most Underpriced Format
YouTube Shorts is like TikTok in 2021. With higher impressions per follower than any other platform, Shorts is still significantly undervalued, but that won’t last forever.
What you can do:
Post 2–3 Shorts per week using hooks from your long-form or blog content.
Invest now, this level of reach will be reigned in eventually.
5. LinkedIn Video: The Professional Feed Evolves
Video on LinkedIn now generates 3x more reach than other post types, but despite this, the platform still generously rewards all formats. That makes LinkedIn unique: you’re not forced into one content type.
As LinkedIn continues to evolve its video offering, with features like the new expanded display on mobile and trending video topics, it indicates that this format will remain a priority for LinkedIn, so we should consider it as part of our strategies.
What you can do:
Repurpose webinar or podcast snippets into short, topic-led posts.
Use text captions and bold headlines to stop the scroll.
6. Private Sharing Is the New Virality
If your social media engagement is down. It’s not you. Social sharing is increasingly going private. Platforms like Instagram are seeing a rise in content being shared in direct messages (DMs) as people are becoming less willing to share publicly.
Just take a look at the data from Adidas’ most successful post in September 2024 and the volume of shares, downloads and favourites.
What you can do:
Use calls to action like “send this to someone who…” or “you know who needs this.”
Think beyond likes, optimise for share and save behaviour, and define your definition of success accordingly.
7. The Battle for the Digital Town Square
Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, X - the race to become the new “public conversation layer” is heating up. But the more these platforms try to be the next Twitter, the more users drift to niche, invite-only, or community-driven spaces.
There’s a paradox: social is simultaneously becoming less social (algorithm-led, interest-based content) and more tribal (smaller groups, tighter connections).
You don’t have to pick a side, but you do need to respect both forces.
What you can do:
Have a public-facing discovery engine (short-form, public video) AND a private engagement layer (community, DMs, newsletters).
Invest in owned audience infrastructure where you control the connection.
Lean into niche communities where you can show up with context and consistency.
Final Thought
At times, the pace of change in social media can be overwhelming. But overall, I’m optimistic. We're moving away from a world where success is dictated by follower counts and toward one where trust, relevance, and connection matter more than ever.
The rise of niche communities, private sharing, and social search doesn’t signal the decline of social media; it marks its evolution. These shifts open the door for brands of all sizes to show up more authentically, build deeper relationships, and grow in more meaningful ways.
In this new era, it's not about chasing scale for its own sake; it’s about collaborating with the right creators and communities to drive the results that truly matter.
That’s all for this month. I hope you found this edition helpful. If you did, please do feel free to share it with anyone who might find it useful.
See you next month! 👋