I was on a client call earlier this week and someone said “it’s 7 weeks until January”, which is slightly terrifying, but also a timely reminder that we’re now right into trends season!
As with previous years, it’s quite hard to predict anything definitively new, but there are some interesting nuggets starting to emerge, notably with Hootsuite’s trends report this week. As with last year, I’ll pull together a concise compilation of the best trends in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for that.
But first: what on earth is going on at X?
X was always likely to play a prominent role in the news cycle regardless of the election result. However, even I’m slightly surprised at the level of chaos emerging; what does it all mean for the wider landscape?
- Firstly – there’s every chance we’re seeing an exodus of users, although until X releases its next round of user figures we won’t know for sure. My own hunch is that most of the people who were going to leave and go elsewhere probably already have done, but we’ll wait to see what the data says.
- That said, there were some high profile leavers this week; most notably The Guardian, as well as former CNN anchor Dom Lemon following a bizarre interview with Elon Musk.
- Yet, the FT conversely reports this week that while we might be seeing an exodus of users, major advertisers are being tempted back to the platform in a bid to curry favour with Musk and, by extension, Donald Trump.
With Bluesky and Threads both reporting major surges in terms of usage, it all begs the question; what does this landscape now look like?
Where before there was just Twitter, now there are X, Bluesky and Threads, all largely competing for the same slice of the social media pie. My issue with all 3 platforms is that, at least within my own network, there’s not really enough going on with any individual app to make it feel worth my while. A lot of people I know have signed up, posted once or twice, and then never posted again.
Until Threads or Bluesky improves Daily Active User figures (which reflect my anecdotal musings), it’s hard to see either leapfrogging X.
Threads is likely to launch ads early next year. This should, probably, coincide with some above the line advertising (something that’s been absent when compared to Twitter or, a few years back, other Meta products), and this is a scrap I expect to heat up over the next year.
Hootsuite launches 2025 trends report
Hootsuite has launched its annual trends piece. I’m planning on taking a deeper look at upcoming digital and social trends over the next few weeks, but this will possibly make for some interesting reading in the meantime.
Key takeaways are:
- Content experimentation is up, with brands foregoing long protected brand guidelines to do so
- Brands are commenting elsewhere to grow outbound engagement
- Apparently, social listening is launching social into a new era – though, given this is coming from Hootsuite, you’ll forgive me for taking that with a pinch of salt.
- Oh also, AI is your new social media strategist.
Read the full piece here. Social Media Today also launched its trends piece this week.
Further Reading
ChatGPT’s foray into search is utilising Bing’s search index; this means that how your website indexes on Bing suddenly got a lot more important.
Although, those ads might be less personalised in the EU, following a concession from Meta earlier this week across its wider ad suite.
LinkedIn has added an ‘Open to Volunteer’ button, which is actually a really nice initiative.
Spotify is launching a new revenue sharing initiative for creators, something which puts it right onto YouTube’s turf.
That’s it! If you found this interesting, I would appreciate it if you shared it with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you next week!