Top social media trends predicted for 2020

It goes without saying that social media has indefinitely become a fundamental part of the everyday life of the average person, with 3.5 million active social media users around the globe. Some users are so invested in social media that the first thing they do in the morning is logging onto social media. From scrolling through Facebook, flicking through images on Instagram and fluttering through the latest trending news on Twitter until it is time to drag themselves away from the glass screen and out of bed.

That being said, it is clear that social media has grown an astounding following and popularity over the past years. With new and innovative platforms or social media trends being curated every year, compiling enough users to grow into groundbreaking discoveries, through the use of powerful media workstations.

But, each year still seems to end with the same question; what new and creative features will our favourite social media platforms come up with next? The next top popular social trends are often unknown, however, with steady changes already being trialled and some set in stone, it is not entirely difficult to exercise what sort of trends to expect.

In this article, it’s time to discuss the possibilities of social media trends in 2020, and what sort of predictions are being made that can give the users an idea of what to expect within the coming New Year.

#1 Social Media Marketing

Within the most recent years, it has become clear that social media has become not just a place for sharing memories and photos, but a place for businesses to extend their brand awareness and raise productivity through selling their services.

“59% of social media marketers plan on increasing their influencer budgets in 2020”

Furthermore, with the current research being conducted, it has been revealed that a large 59% of social media marketers plan on increasing their influencer budgets in 2020. By this, businesses will be paying more celebrities and social media influencers to promote their brand, product and services on their own accounts, to extend their brand audience as far as possible.

It has become evident that the circle of trust before purchasing a product is not only looking at reviews or speaking with friends and family. In fact, many people will turn to the influencers they see on platforms and listen to their opinions before deciding whether they will purchase said product or not; with 75% of users saying they turn to social media, before purchasing a product.

Because of this, 2020 will not see any delay in businesses taking full advantage of this opportunity, and will certainly be jumping onto any opportunity to get them out on social media even further.

#2 The Demolition Of Fake News

Social media is not always the nicest place to be. In some cases, the users are subject to scandals, arguments cancellations and call-outs, and such stories are now labelled as ‘Fake news’.

The saying came about in 2016 and has not fizzled out since. In past years, both debates, scandals and arguments have been circulating the platforms, with users suggesting the apps are the ones who are unwillingly distributing this ‘fake news’ in order to get views or popularity. Just like YouTube users do when they create ‘Clickbait content’ that can spread worldwide within a matter of hours.

2020 is rumoured to experience a huge drop in the release of this fake news, in the hopes it will create a far happier, safer and satisfactory online environment for the users of the different platforms. It may seem to be somewhat of an unsolvable problem, however, platforms are setting in plans to help tackle the issue. For example, Twitter has decided to ban all political advertising globally, hoping that the collection of others will decide to do so too, and extend the removal of negative content even further.

#3 TikTok On The Rise

After beginning as the rather anticlimactic platform that was ‘Musically’, the reborn version TikTok has certainly reached new heights in 2019. TikTok has not only been rebuilt, but it has hit 1 billion downloads in 2019, and it is not said to be stopping anytime soon. This is due to a huge amount of social media marketing campaigns released in order to spread as much brand awareness as possible- and it clearly worked for them!

“TikTok has not only been rebuilt, but it has hit 1 billion downloads in 2019, and it is not said to be stopping anytime soon.”

Although, the platform itself has not grown without its own set of personal challenges. Coming under intense scrutiny for the way in which the developers of the loved app treat the creators, and how the content produced has the ability to form a somewhat national threat.

Yet all this aside, with developers already making changes, the youth of this generation still takes time out their day to create the most entertaining videos to the latest songs and even movie scenes. Because of this, it is certain that the success of TikTok will not be dying down anytime soon.

#4 Increase Of Social B2C Communication

A social media trend that has been growing over the recent years, is the communication between businesses to consumers, through the use of social media platforms. It has become clear that for many users, in fact, 90% of online users, this is their chosen method of contact with companies. Instead of waiting on a tedious phone line or for an email back that is never going to come, many will pick up their phone and ping a public message to the company in question. It has become a revolutionary decision to make these platforms, such as Twitter or Instagram, the primary source of contact to solve any service-related issues.

“Because of this, it has been said that 78% of people who decide to take their complaints to Twitter, will now expect a response within an hour”.

Because of this, it has been said that 78% of people who decide to take their complaints to Twitter, will now expect a response within an hour, and 29% will happily share to their friends and family if a response has not been given. So from here, companies have begun to ditch the online customer helplines, and have decided to dedicate more time to responding to interactions on social media platforms. This method of communication will certainly continue to rise within the months of 2020, creating a responsive and dedicated team to getting these problems dealt with quickly becoming paramount.

#5 Social Media Posting Strategies

It’s not uncommon for those who use social media platforms to be cursed with a short
attention span. If anything, it just makes the work of those who use these platforms, just that little harder. In fact, it has been discovered that those who hit the timelines, actually only have an attention span of around 8 seconds, and if they are not hooked by this point, interest will be lost.

Because of this, social media timelines will begin to see businesses and even influencers following a posting rule in 2020. Labelled the ‘5:3:2’ rule, this suggests that for every 10 pieces of content posted, 5 should be from other sources, 3 should be brand related and 2 being relatable and personable.

This has been formed by studies being taken from those who are nearest and dearest to brands and the content in which they post. With figures suggesting that 59% of shoppers want to see posts that educate them, and 30% wanting to see posts that include external links to more information. This is why the first rule is ‘5’ outsourced posts; allowing content to be more informative and interesting, rather than the fake realities seen throughout social media platforms in 2019.

#6 Social Media Mindfulness

2020 will see social media platforms continue to take their stand against bullying, trolling or abusive content online in order to make it a safer and happier place to be in.

There is a huge amount of jealousy surrounding social media, with some users unable to stop comparing themselves to those they follow online allowing themselves to fall into very upsetting mindsets. Because of this, Instagram has now decided to trial and implement the removal of likes, to stop the comparative nature to what is liked online and what isn’t. This way, people will be able to post freely, only showing what they like, rather than posting what they think the followers want to see.

What can be said for sure, is that there is a huge amount of mindfulness now being implemented into each platform. With the developers now working collaboratively to create an environment that is much more suited to the younger generation, working hard to rule out any air of negativity; with only positive social media trends, in order to allow the users to have a safe and satisfying experience when using the beloved, social media.

Using Social Media To The Fullest

It’s no secret that the vast majority of the public set up accounts and follow social media trends to share exciting events within their lives. Whether this be photos from a festival, new bedroom decor, or well wishes to a friend; with some even using these platforms to show the world the amazing privileges they receive each year.

Not just for personal use, social media is an essential tool for many businesses. Starting out as a platform for expressing lifestyle choices, now being a groundbreaking career for many, allowing them to make an unimaginable amount of money within the space of a few months. This, making social media a much more important platform than it once was.

From the increase of social media marketing to more TikTok users, 2020 will see a vast amount of changes to each platform. These changes will either make or break the experience given, and become a deciding factor into whether they are continued to be used or not.

Author’s bio

Sydney Tierney; just recently finished her studies; is working her way into the world of content writing as a digital marketing assistant. She writes for clients that specialise in workstations, procurement and SEO management.