7 social media predictions for 2025

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Yes that’s right, the time of the year when digital and social media marketers like myself bust out their social media predictions for what lies ahead.

Looking back, some of our 2024 predictions hit the proverbial nail on the head – TikTok has continued to grow as an effective storytelling platform for charities and gaming for giving has blossomed into a vital fundraising channel, with livestreaming platforms like Twitch and charity-focused gaming events driving new levels of engagement and donations. On a less positive note, the continued failure of big tech to prioritise the safety of their users, along with the rapid proliferation of AI-generated content, has made the social media landscape significantly more challenging.

So, what can we look forward to in 2025? Here are our top social media predictions for the coming year.

1. Balancing curiosity and caution in the age of AI

AI has undoubted uses and potential but its pitfalls are impossible to ignore. Coca cola’s AI-generated Christmas ad and the Willy Wonka fiasco highlight its limitations, and downright creepiness, in creative contexts. Bots have caused significant issues for brands and charities in customer service scenarios and the alarming surge in AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) underscores the grave risks posed by unregulated AI.

In 2025, we predict a mix of curiosity and caution as organisations work to develop strategies and plans for meaningful use of AI. AI tools can be helpful for increasing efficiency – through automating repetitive tasks or improving customer service – but human oversight will be critical to maintain trust and safeguard online communities.

2. A return to human engagement

As AI becomes evermore ubiquitous, we will seek out and appreciate genuine human engagement. Online communities, especially those tied to charities or sensitive causes, thrive on empathy and trust and these are qualities only humans can offer.

Your users don’t want to speak to a bot. If you’re not real, they will know. This is borne out by the evidence. This year, we’ve experienced a spike in requests for engagement and moderation by real humans from charities. In 2025, brands should prioritise building personal relationships with their audiences through real-time responses, live events, and human-centric storytelling.

“StrawberrySocial has worked with Blue Cross since 2021, connecting, engaging and, in the case of Instagram, growing new audiences by 67%. The high level of engagement has made our audience feel enthusiastic and empowered to share updates on their pets with us and the rest of our community. It’s these organic conversations that make the most difference.”
– Blue Cross Social Media Team

3. Focus your efforts: the right platform, not every platform

The era of “be everywhere” is long over. With newer platforms like BlueSky and Threads gaining traction, spreading resources across every channel is unsustainable. Instead, it’s time to conduct a thorough audit of your channels, identifying where your target audience is most active and focusing your resources there. For charities, this could mean finally moving away from X to a less toxic, more value-aligned platform. It could mean doubling down on TikTok for youth engagement.

4. Social SEO

Search behaviours are changing rapidly, with YouTube and TikTok growing as significant players in search, particularly among younger demographics. As social platforms refine their algorithms, hashtags are becoming less important, while keyword-rich content is key to discovery. In 2025, the focus will be on crafting SEO-optimised captions, video descriptions, and posts to make content more discoverable without relying on tags.

This shift offers an opportunity for charities and brands to better connect with users searching for relevant causes or topics, optimising for intent-driven engagement.

5. Hyper-focused micro-communities

While mainstream platforms like Facebook and TikTok will remain dominant, 2025 will see the continued rise of niche, decentralised platforms and private spaces. Discord servers, WhatsApp groups, and specialised community forums will continue to grow to serve our appetite for hyper-focused interests.

For charities, these smaller, often safer spaces present an opportunity to have more meaningful conversations and to foster trust. Building smaller, engaged communities can help cut through the noise and ensure messages resonate more deeply with an engaged, dedicated audience.

6. Gaming for giving: livestreaming as a force for good

Gaming and livestreaming continue to offer powerful fundraising opportunities. Events like NSPCC’s GameSafe Festival show how chathe gaming world can be harnessed for giving. In 2025, expect more charities and brands to tap into platforms like Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Discord to connect with younger, tech-savvy audiences in innovative ways.

7. From passive scrolling to active participation

As the inimitable social media strategist Andy Lambert points out, there’s a growing divide between platforms where users passively scroll (TikTok, Instagram Reels) versus those fostering conversational engagement (BlueSky, LinkedIn). While this isn’t necessarily the endgame for passive content consumption – a.k.a the doomscroll – platforms that encourage more personalised and active engagement will be the ones shaping brand-consumer relationships on social in 2025.

For any charities or brands still stuck in the rut of social media 1.0, this shift means a final move away from simply broadcasting messages to actually facilitating dialogue, once and for all.

In conclusion, channel Maya for success on social media

In 2025, the key to success on social media will be in prioritising real connections and creating meaningful, engaging content. Charities and brands must focus on building trust through authentic storytelling, active conversations, and human engagement. For those that have the resources, investing time and effort in hyper-focused communities, optimising for evolving search behaviours, and exploring innovative opportunities like gaming for good, are all good routes to try. The future of social lies in less broadcasting and more listening and connecting – meet people where they are and make every interaction matter.

As Maya Angelou famously said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This holds true on social media – it’s not just about the content you post or the campaigns you run, but about the emotional connection you build with your audience. In such a crowded, frenzied digital space, creating experiences that leave people feeling valued, inspired, or understood will always stand out.