Three Social Media Predictions For 2023 🔮
Just Another Day in Social Media. 🤷♀️
What do you think social media really is? I've read a few tweets recently from people who argue that TikTok and YouTube aren't really social media because they are more about video content than engagement. But honestly, aren't all of the platforms about creating entertaining content? In fact, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said in 2021 that the company was purposely focusing on "entertaining" content and video capabilities. And I would definitely consider Instagram to be a social media platform.
So, to answer the question of what social media really is, this is the way I've always thought of it — if a platform allows for two-way communication (comments, messages, etc.), then it is social media (ergo, the "social" part of the communication).
And as this graphic from Visual Capitalist shows, the social media world has never been so crowded.
What do you think social media is?
Here are today's top stories:
The top three social media trends for 2023
Eight graphic design trends to watch
And the award for most-liked posts go to...
Crystal Ball Time 🔮
Will TikTok take over? Will Facebook get its metaverse off the ground? Will Instagram ever be a photo app again?
I wish I had a crystal ball for 2023 that would give me the answers to all of these questions. Sadly, a lot of this is hard to predict (who would have guessed that Elon Musk was going to buy Twitter and then take it down a weird and winding path?!).
BUT, there are some overall social media trends that may emerge in 2023. Here are my three predictions:
Social Media as a Search Engine 🔎
A Focus on Verification ✅
Sound On 🗣
1. SOCIAL MEDIA AS A SEARCH ENGINE 🔎
In the summer, a Google executive sent little ripples through the marketing world when he said that about 40% of Gen Z aren’t using Google Maps and Search when looking for a place for lunch — they are going to TikTok or Instagram.
And it really seemed to shock people. But when you think about it, we’re all shifting our search a little bit. No longer do we rely solely on websites and Google to help us with Search.
For example, before trying a new restaurant, have you ever hopped onto Instagram to see what the food and décor looks like? Or maybe you want to know when a certain tennis tournament starts. Do you ever check the Twitter account for Wimbledon?
Why the shift? For one thing, social media platforms are constantly updated with new content, compared to most websites. So there is a greater likelihood that we’ll find what we’re looking for much faster. It’s also much easier to DM an account with a question than sending an email, reducing a communications lag. And, if we’re being honest, we’re also on social media a lot more than we ever have been. So if we’re already there, why not just do a search.
What this means for social media marketers:
Take some time to brainstorm or do a keyword search for any terms that your audience may be searching for, and create content around those key search terms
You might want to go beyond keywords and optimize SEO on your social channels. Here are some tips from Hootsuite
This also presents an opportunity to serve up timely, informative content across all your channels — and to do this consistently
And don’t forget to answer all questions and comments from community members in a timely manner
2. A FOCUS ON VERIFICATION ✅
If you’ve been following the collapse of cryto giant FTX, you probably heard about a video that went around featuring the now-ousted CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, offering to give people their money back. But turns out, the video was a deep fake.
And what made things worse is that it came from a “verified” Twitter account. And if you don’t know what happened there, basically Elon Musk thought it would be a great idea to offer Tweeples the ability to purchase a blue checkmark for $7.99. But I guess he didn’t realize the creativity of folks on Twitter, who quickly created parody accounts for large brands, and then tweeted out posts that were anything but on brand.
And amidst all of this chaos, it became pretty difficult to tell what was a real account, and what was a parody account. I found myself combing through profiles and clicking on the new blue checkmarks to see if this was a recently purchased verification mark, or if it was actually a verified account. And that can really erode trust.
There is also a big issue with bots (Musk actually tried to use that as an excuse to back out of Twitter deal). And it’s not just a problem on Twitter. LinkedIn has also admitted that it knows there are fake accounts on its site. Which means it’s also probably an issue on every social media platform.
To combat this, LinkedIn is now doing a limited rollout of a verification feature, that would allow users to verify identity through a phone number or email. According to CNN, the verification feature will be incorporated into a new “About this Profile” section, which will also show when the profile was created and last updated. Meanwhile, Musk says he's working on a multi-coloured verification system that will launch later this week.
Why should you care? Because verification can reduce confusion for brand accounts that may have a lot of copycats or parody accounts. It can also quickly build trust with your community, who will be more likely to follow, like, share, etc.
This is also going to be important for e-commerce. In Hootsuite's latest trends report — The 11 Most Important Social Media Trends for 2023 — that the main reason that social media shopping didn't take off is because people were nervous about entering in their payment info. With verification, this might help build that trust.
What this means for social media marketers marketers:
1. If you haven’t already, consider getting verified on the different platforms. Click the links for more details.
2. It’s not always easy — or possible — to get verified, so focus on other cues that will let your audience know your account isn’t fake. For example, include as many official details as possible (website), use a professional profile pic, and post and engage regularly.
3. SOUND ON 🗣
Two years ago when I was compiling my social media trends list, one of my 2021 predictions included a focus on sounds and music. I still think this is an emerging trend, and this is how I think it may grow:
AUDIO SPACES: It feels like Twitter Spaces (launched in 2021 in response to audio-only Clubhouse App) must be doing well since the feature it still around (unlike Fleets, which died after less than a year). And more recently, LinkedIn launched Live Audio Rooms, which according to HubSpot, is very similar to Twitter Spaces. So, as more platforms invest in these audio-only features, I think we can expect to see them grow in popularity (amongst certain users who love podcasts and audio events, of course).
MUSIC: TikTok was perhaps the first traditional social media platform to put an emphasis on pairing music with content, and has launched the careers of many musicians and content creators with a music-first focus. Facebook and Instagram went as far as to copy the music trend with Reels, and more recently, Instagram has even made it possible to add music to still Grid images. But as the platforms battle for supremacy, the ability for users to easily access the best versions of songs will be very important. TikTok may win this one. It not only makes all music available to users, but also provides Trend reports for songs. By comparison, Instagram gates off the best versions of songs depending on the type of account you have (for example, "Business" accounts don't have access to the full music library— you have to switch to an "Entrepreneur" account to do that. Learn more in this blog post).
SOUNDS AND AUDIO MEMES: Not only is TikTok winning the music war, but it is also leading when it comes to sound and audio memes. Audio memes are audio uploaded by other users, which are then used by other TikTokers to create trending videos.
Here's an example:
Original Audio: Nobody's Gonna Know
Repurposed Audio: Cutting a Pizza
Why do we love these audio memes? The NY Times recently published an article where they talked about why we are so attracted to these clips, calling them "ineffable and affecting and addictive." Read: Why Do We Love Audio Memes? Call it "Brainfeel" (I'm honestly just amazed at how creative people are when using the sounds!)
Instagram has actually picked up on this, and now when you scroll through Reels Templates, there are quite a few audio memes — not just music clips — that they want you to build your content on. If the company hasn't done so already, they're going to have take the next step, and make sure to encourage users to create their own sounds within Instagram if they want to compete.
What this means for social media marketers:
Consider experimenting with audio memes, and then check your metrics to see how this content performs vs. other types of content to help determine your 2023 strategy
If you're posting on TikTok, definitely check out the Trends Reports when looking to create content vs. just picking your own favourite song
And if you regularly host webinars or in-person events, consider experimenting with an audio event on Twitter or LinkedIn (I feel like I want to try this, but we'll see if I'm brave enough!
Well, that's it for my top three predictions. I hope you found this helpful! Here are some of the other trends I'll be watching for in 2023:
How TikTok is changing advertising content creation
How the pace of social media updates may slow given the downturn in the tech sector, and
The changing online buyer journey
Good luck to all of us 😂 (and yes, I refuse to stop using the crying laughing emoji!)
Graphic Design Trends for 2023
Wondering what graphics will look like in 2023? The team at Venngage compiled a list of the 8 Graphic Design Trends That Will Dominate 2023. The list includes motion graphics, bold colours and shapes, inclusivity, a nod to the past, and much more! Check out the infographic.
Source: Venngage
MOST LIKELY TO...
Go Viral
Once in a while, I like to check in to see what is topping the social media charts. When it comes to the "most liked" post ever on a platform, it's a wide and varied list. Enjoy!
Most-Liked Instagram Post — A picture of an egg from the account @world_record_egg — 56M likes
Most-Liked Tweet — From the family of deceased actor Chadwick Boseman — 7M likes
Most-Liked Video on TikTok — Content Creator Bella Poarch lip syncing to "M to the B" — 60.2M likes
Most-Liked YouTube Video — Despacito by Luis Fonsi, ft. Daddy Yankee — 50M likes
Sources: Wikipedia, Statista
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