New travel data from Polarsteps noticed a change in how people use social platforms. Travelling now feeds directly into what gets posted online, with more people documenting trips as they happen.
British travellers lead this behaviour in Europe. Polarsteps says that 44% of UK users share their trips publicly. This is higher than travellers from the Netherlands at 31%, France at 32%, and Germany at 29%. This all comes from more than 5 million country visits logged between November 2024 and October 2025.
Trips are getting shorter. UK travel time went from 22 days to 19 days, but the distance covered barely changed. The report says that travellers are packing more into each day and covering more ground in less time. Globally, the average trip length went down from 20 days to 17 days, which is a 15% drop, while distance per trip went down by only 3.4%.
This behaviour connects with how travel appears online. Shorter trips with packed schedules create more moments to post. The report describes 2025 as “a record year for adventure on Polarsteps” and states, “We squeezed more into less time, traded familiarity for discovery, and embraced the road (and the world) with unprecedented curiosity.”
This connection is stronger for younger. For those aged 18 to 28, social platforms are the main source of travel inspiration. Polarsteps data also says that 85% of British under-18s feel inspired to travel after seeing content from others.
Is AI Changing How People Create And Consume Social Content?
AI is starting to influence how travel content is created and consumed, though trust is still limited. Polarsteps data says that 23% of British travellers already use AI for travel inspiration. This is higher than the Netherlands and France at 18% and Germany at 17%. The global average is 19%.
The report gives more detail on usage. It states, “Gen-Z often uses AI and social platforms to get started, and more than a third say they’d use AI for itinerary ideas.” Early planning is moving into digital spaces shaped by algorithms and shared posts.
Trust goes away when decisions become more serious. Less than 6% of travellers want AI to manage bookings. Instead, 62% rely on friends and family for travel inspiration. This creates a gap between discovery and final decisions.
There have also been issues with AI accuracy – Polarsteps data mentions cases where AI gave incorrect travel advice, such as telling a Spanish influencer that no visa was needed for Puerto Rico. In other cases, AI created destinations that do not exist. These incidents have led to more discussion about how far people should trust automated tools.
Are New Travel Destinations Shaping What People Post?
Travel content is also changing because people are choosing different destinations. The data shows movement away from traditional hotspots towards places that feel less familiar.
In Europe, countries like Lithuania came up by 20%, Latvia by 13%, and Estonia by 12% in traveller numbers year on year. In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan rose by 53%, Uzbekistan by 39%, Tajikistan by 37%, and Kazakhstan by 31%. These figures are adjusted to account for the app’s growth.
East Asia is starting to gain more attention. Japan saw a 30% increase, China 24%, and South Korea 10%. At the same time, Indonesia went down by 10%. The report connects this to cultural interest from media such as anime and Korean dramas, along with climate and safety.
For British travellers, Japan is the top dream destination for 2026. The wider ranking of planned trips places Thailand first, followed by Spain, Japan, the United States, and the UK itself. These rankings come from more than 200,000 planned trips in the app.
The report states, “Trips are shorter, days are fuller.” It also states that travellers are “swapping overtouristed icons for fresh frontiers.” These changes suggest a new kind of social media behaviour, where travel, posting, and planning feed into each other in real time.
What Do Experts Think About There Being A New Era Of Social Media?
Experts share their thoughts on the overall era of social media we are in right now…
Our Experts:
- Megan Dooley, Social Media Expert, TAL Agency
- Lindsey Wallace, Director of Marketing, Intratem
- Ashley Rector, Founder, Quimby Digital
- Syed Asif Ali, Founder & Digital Identity Architect, Point Media
Megan Dooley, Social Media Expert, TAL Agency
“Yes, BUT comes with a heavy caveat. What we’re seeing is not necessarily a clean “new generation” of social media, but rather a fragmentation of what social media means to users. The new wave of social apps isn’t replacing the incumbents, but rather they’re reshaping behaviour in a number of ways.
“The first is that we’re seeing a breakaway from mass platforms into apps that are more niche and community-focused. The new players on the scene like BeReal, Threads, Noplace, and SubStack Notes focus on smaller and interest-led spaces and authenticity, rather than the mass appeal and carefully curated image of traditional platforms.
“Secondly we’re moving from posting daily or even multiple times a day to more passive use of social media or even locking our socials down altogether. Gen Z in particular are increasingly identifying as “lurkers”, using DMs or Discord-style spaces to interact, or even opting out of posting altogether.
“Finally, and possibly the biggest shift, is away from traditional social media towards utility and AI-driven experiences. Social media apps are not just about endless scrolling feeds now; AI, creator tools, and social-as-search as redefining platforms into engines of productivity and discovery.
“So in essence, 2026 isn’t about a single breakout app, but it’s more about social media in a post-feed era where we’re seeing splinters into private, niche and AI-enhanced ecosystems rather than latching onto a single dominant app as “the next TikTok”.”
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Lindsey Wallace, Director of Marketing, Intratem
“If anything, we are seeing the resurrection of social media apps that prior were on their last breath. SnapChat continues to surge forward with a new wave of youthful users, TikTok is still holding strong, Instagram is now for all-ages and no longer youth-forward, while Facebook is non-existent amongst the younger generations, but is somehow still one of the most widely-used platforms popular amongst mid-to-older generations.
“One app or platform that isn’t talked about enough is Omegle. We continue to see viral clips on TikTok and Instagram alike of screen-recorded clips from Omegle, an app used to connect strangers via videochat from around the world. This app has seemingly got another wave of users – having originally launched and widely used in 2009, young users are now just discovering. Still used the same – connecting people from around the world. Much like a dating app, you can quickly hit next if you do not want to talk to that person that pops up – maybe they look too old, too young, creepy, or just aren’t your vibe.
“Just like in 2009, though, there are still safety concerns as there are still predators that commonly pop up – exposing youth to nudity and unsafe content. Viral TikTok and Instagram clips, though, expose the good side of the app – connecting with strangers of different ages, in different geographic locations, with various backgrounds and cultures – seemingly still able to share laughs and friendly connection. It’s an app that quickly unmasks both the dark underbelly of the world, yet some interactions are the ones that give you hope for the humanity and scratch the itch of longing connection.
“Twitch is another one that has made various streamers famous such as Kai Cenat, who was able to lang A-list celebrities on his livestream, raking in a new, younger generation of streamers. Kai’s impressive celebrity lineup has included Kevin Hart, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi, 21 Savage, Ice Spice, and even Kim Kardashian – any celebrity that’s trending – he has the streaming star-power to get them on Twitch. Streamers such have Kai have made it a staple app, originally build for gamers, has now expanded to pretty much anyone invested in pop-culture.
“While new apps are trending such as NoPlace, Rednote, and TenTen – my prediction is that they will not last, or not be widely used amongst youth. Just like Threads, I predict a lot of buzz, but ultimately they won’t be apps that Gen Alpha or Gen Z will incorporate into their daily social media consumption long-term.”
Ashley Rector, Founder, Quimby Digital
“We’re not seeing the next Instagram or the next TikTok we are seeing the end of the ‘one app to rule them all’ era. In 2026, users are building fragmented social ecosystems: Threads for public discourse, Discord for community, Reddit for trusted feedback, Noplace for nostalgia.
“Younger users have figured out what the industry hasn’t fully accepted yet: no single algorithm can serve all the ways humans want to connect. For brands, this means the ‘repurpose everywhere’ strategy is officially dead. You need platform-native thinking for each space, or you’re just shouting into the wrong room. Your community is living in different apps for different things. So you need to optimize content for that platform specifically.”
Syed Asif Ali, Founder & Digital Identity Architect, Point Media
“What we’re seeing isn’t just new social apps — it’s a shift in what people expect from them.
“Earlier platforms were built around reach and visibility. The new wave is being shaped around identity and control.
“A lot of users are becoming more aware of how they’re represented online. It’s not just about posting anymore — it’s about how that content is interpreted, reused, and even surfaced by algorithms or AI systems. That’s changing behavior.
“We’re already seeing smaller platforms and features that prioritize context over virality. Less emphasis on going viral, more focus on relevance, private communities, and controlled visibility.
“Another shift is how AI is being integrated directly into social experiences. Not just for content creation, but for filtering, summarizing, and even shaping what people see and how they interact. That changes the role of the platform itself.
“From what I’ve seen working across digital media, the platforms that will stand out aren’t the ones that help you reach more people — they’re the ones that help you be understood more clearly.
“So yes, it’s not just a new generation of apps.
“It’s a different model of social interaction — where identity, context, and control matter more than pure attention.
“This shift is less about platforms changing — and more about users becoming more aware of how they exist online. People aren’t just using platforms anymore — they’re becoming more intentional about how they’re represented on them.”
