Expert Predictions for Social Media in 2025

Social media is at a fork in the road, in many senses, evolving rapidly as technology, user expectations and global regulations are rapidly reshaping its future.

Indeed, by 2025, platforms will face significant transformations driven by the need for greater accountability, more personalised experiences and safer digital environments. Governments all over the world are introducing stricter laws to combat misinformation, safeguard user data and hold platforms responsible for harmful content. But, many people argue that these regulations may be going too far, resulting in potential censorship.

At the same time, emerging technologies like augmented and virtual reality are expected to revolutionise how we interact online, pushing the boundaries of engagement and immersion. However, alongside innovation comes the challenge of balancing freedom of expression with necessary restrictions to protect users from harm.

These changes will redefine how platforms operate, how users interact, and how society views the role of social media in our lives.

The Effect of Laws and Regulations on Social Media Platforms

One of the biggest shifts we’ve started to see in the social media landscape is an increase in regulation as governments all over the world are starting to express growing concerns over the spreading of misinformation, privacy breaches and proliferation of harmful content.

As such, it’s expected that a wave of legislation designed to hold platforms more accountable for user safety and data protection is in the pipeline – in fact, it’s already started happening. This will most likely include stricter requirements for content moderation, transparency in algorithms and enhanced measures to combat fake accounts and bots.

In the European Union, for instance, the Digital Services Act (DSA) and similar regulations are expected to set global benchmarks for platform governance. Meanwhile, debates over Section 230 in the United States could end up redefining the balance between platform liability and free speech – indeed, with Trump and Elon Musk leading the social mediria charge in the incoming administration, the future of social media regulation in the US may be very different to what lies ahead for the EU.

The end of 2024 already saw some pretty monumental events in this regard, with the Telegram debacle and arrest of Pavel Durov in late August serving as a pretty big wake-up call for social media industry leaders around the world.

While these measures aim to create safer online spaces, they also pose challenges for smaller platforms that may lack the resources to properly comply. And, they introduce the potential for censorship of opinions and specific viewpoints which certainly is cause for concern.

Either way, the era of almost completely unregulated social media has come to and end, ushering in a landscape that prioritises accountability over unchecked growth, as well as a load of controversy surrounding how much control is too much control.

Finding a Balance Between Freedom and Control 

The tension between freedom of expression and the need to curb harmful content will probably always be a contentious issue, especially because striking the right balance is insurmountably difficult and it’s an inherently dynamic issue.

Stricter regulations aimed at combating hate speech, misinformation and extremist content could result in tighter restrictions on what users can post. But, while these measures may create safer digital spaces, they also raise questions about censorship and the potential for overreach.

Social media platforms will face the challenge of implementing content moderation policies that strike a balance between protecting users and respecting diverse viewpoints. Machine learning and AI will likely play a larger role in identifying and managing harmful content, but concerns about bias in these systems persist – never mind the accuracy thereof.

For users, this evolving environment could also lead to greater self-censorship as they navigate increasingly complex guidelines. Social media platforms desperately need to find ways to maintain trust while fostering an open exchange of ideas within these new constraints, a balancing act that is going to be incredibly hard to achieve.

Experts Provide Predictions for Social Media for 2025 

There’s no doubt about the fact the future of social media is drought with a great deal of uncertainty and even more controversy. With the EU seemingly going in one direction with regard to restrictions and the US going the opposite way, there’s no telling how this will affect both new and existing businesses operating in the social media landscape in 2025 and beyond.

And, that’s just the topic of social media regulation – other key considerations when it comes to the future of social media include how it’ll be used in marketing, which mediums will be most successful, who will be using it most and so much more.

We spoke to a group of experts in the field and picked their brains about potential predictions for social media in the coming year.

Our Experts

• Rachel Irvine: CEO of Irvine Partners
• Daniela Morein Bar:Founder and CEO of Inspired Marketing
• Deolu King: Partner, Social Practice at KINESSO UK &I
• Charlotte Sheridan: Founder of Quokka Agency
• Xanthe Vaughan Williams: Director and Co-founder of Fourth Day Public Relations
• Dan Miles: Director of Marketing Services at CCGroup
• Holly Shea: Head Of Social at Mabo
• James Poulter: Head of AI and Innovation at House 337
• Art Lindop: Managing Director of Alphageek Digital
• Alexandra Johansen: Account Manager at Carnsight Communications
• Becky Owen: Chief Marketing Officer at Billion Dollar Boy
• Chris Pearce: Managing Director at Greenpark
• Samantha Kelly: Social Media Consultant, Author, International Speaker and Founder of Social Media Fest
• Chelsea Hopkins: Social Media and PR Manager at Fasthosts
• Dorothy Tamuno: Founder of Many Rooms Studios
• Aron Jheeta: Senior Paid Social Account Director at The PHA Group

Rachel Irvine, CEO of Irvine Partners

“In 2025, the era of set and forget is over. Navigating social media algorithms will demand sharper strategies to exploit hidden opportunities and algorithmic loopholes, from leveraging new content formats and features, to timing posts for peak visibility. Staying ahead means not just playing the game, but knowing how to hack it too.

In particular, video is emerging as a high-value medium to engage consumers and drive messaging. We have already seen many traditional UK publications switch their strategy to include more short video-led, snackable content. In 2025, we will likely see journalist roles evolve further to meet new demands. In the same vein, long-winded reports and multi-slide decks are being replaced by concise, actionable insights. If you can’t sum it up in a tweet, you risk losing attention in a sea of noise.”

Daniela Morein Bar, Founder and CEO of Inspired Marketing

Deolu King: Partner, Social Practice at KINESSO UK &I

“Social growing in the messy middle – The messy middle continues to be messy, with people hitting multiple media touch points in a day. As a result, product and brand discovery will need to shift to consider multiple platforms and environments.

Social platforms are becoming multi-faceted. TikTok, for example, is continuing its march to being recognized as a Search platform and it launched its search ad product at the end of 2024. And non-social platforms are increasingly building ‘Social products’.

YouTube has been promoting its Demand Gen, specifically YouTube Shorts product to rival Instagram reels and TikTok videos.   What does this mean for brands? Martech and AdTech solutions will come to the forefront of media conversations. As an industry, we need to guide and educate our clients to understand the best way to partner with multiple walled garden platforms and technologies, weighing up the effort and impact across deep integrations. Content and influencer/creative strategies will also need to be discussed earlier on in the planning cycle. ”

Charlotte Sheridan, Founder of Quokka Agency

“There are quite a few changes afoot on social media platforms, which will directly affect how advertisers target consumers. Put simply, with a raft of privacy changes, alongside some specific new rules from platforms themselves, advertisers will need to start using better creative to appeal to their audience rather than relying on old tactics of targeting based on interests or even retargeting.

Meta, for example, is starting to remove options for targeting those who advertise certain medical and wellness products, meaning that advertisers in this industry will need to change their tactics to try and capture first-party data (rather than relying on third parties). For social media users, this means you can expect to see more advertisers trying to gather your email information to market directly to you.

For advertisers, this really means that they will need to take new and more creative approaches to campaigns, capturing attention through what video or imagery they create (rather than relying on audience targeting). For consumers, this may mean a change in what you see on your feed.”

Xanthe Vaughan Williams, Director and Co-founder of Fourth Day Public Relations

“2024 saw some extraordinary cases of disinformation spreading on social media – the worst was possibly the riots fuelled by false rumours following the stabbing of three young girls in Southport. The question of media trust is therefore high in the nation’s consciousness. Monitoring and regulation of social channels isn’t easy, but several companies have already developed software to analyse and track the origins of social posts’ location and channel. 2025 could be a good year for them.

We may also see a move towards real verification of identities on social media. As X has done away with the meaningful aspects of its blue tick and it becomes harder to identify deep fake images, perhaps people will gravitate towards platforms on which people have to admit who they are. This wouldn’t necessarily mean removing disagreeable views, just allowing people to know who’s talking. For trust in the media to be restored, technology is going to play an important role.”

Dan Miles, Director of Marketing Services at CCGroup

“The social media industry has been in a period of transition for several years and 2025 should see the industry begin to take its future shape.

Online safety will be a major influence on how social platforms serve content. The Online Safety Bill in the UK and the SAFE for kids Act in the US will place increased compliance and accountability on platforms as we move to a more overtly regulated social media market.

We are likely to see more transparency about how algorithms work and how content is moderated. The impact on content will also be tangible. Brands will be more accountable for the content they produce and there is likely to be more public and regulatory scrutiny on prejudice and bias in corporate social media content.

The increase in accountability and mindfulness of content will also be seen in the type of B2B content that we will see on the main platforms. As AI will continue to create a lot of the corporate and brand-led content, we will see an increase in the volume of personal, reflective content that comes directly from people.

There will be a greater emphasis on community engagement in a b2b context. Brands will increasingly use social media platforms to foster connections and bring together high-value customers, partners, and influential experts.

The Tiktokification of social media platforms will continue in 2025, with LinkedIn, in particular, launching and testing several new features to directly compete with Tiktok. A dedicated video tab is currently being tested which features a vertical feed of short-form videos. We will also likely see the organic algorithm delivering more personal short-form video content about career development, professional networking, and industry insights.

In general, 2025 will be a year of a more personal and less generic corporate approach from brands.”

Holly Shea, Head Of Social at Mabo

“Meta is moving from its traditional click-based attribution model to a more sophisticated incrementality-based approach. This shift seeks to uncover the true impact of ad campaigns by comparing their performance to a control group, providing advertisers with a clearer understanding of how their efforts drive results. The previous model prioritised low-funnel ads, often attributing success to audiences who were likely to convert anyway. In contrast, the new model acknowledges these nuances, shifting focus toward top-of-funnel activities that introduce and engage new audiences.

This change reinforces the unique role of social media in capturing fresh attention and expanding reach. It provides advertisers with the tools to better measure the broader influence of their campaigns, going beyond immediate clicks or conversions. With incrementality at its core, this model positions social media advertising as a powerful driver of long-term growth and brand awareness, proving its value more comprehensively than ever.”

James Poulter, Head of AI and Innovation at House 337

“Video will remain at the forefront in 2025, but its ideal platform is still up for debate. LinkedIn is positioning itself to capture TikTok creators migrating to the professional space, whilst Meta is preparing for a wave of new formats created, edited, or captured by AI.

The rise of smart glasses may ignite fresh debates around privacy and content ownership, and the emergence of autonomous agents generating content for users and influencers could redefine the very concept of “social” media—especially with a bunch of AI’s running the show.”

Art Lindop, Managing Director of Alphageek Digital

“In 2025, we will see a fast-changing landscape driven by AI, shifting platform dominance and economic uncertainty. AI will continue to play a huge role in content creation, making it easier to produce creative assets and copy optimized for platform algorithms. Platforms like Meta and TikTok, powered by AI-driven systems, will reward brands that align their content with audience behaviours and trends. Agencies will need to stay ahead of the curve, mastering AI tools to ensure campaigns deliver maximum visibility and engagement.

With TikTok facing a ban in America, it’s likely that we will see Meta – particularly Facebook and Instagram – reassert its dominance. Smart brands will double down on Meta’s ecosystem as a scalable and reliable advertising platform, giving agencies a chance to recapture audiences and experiment with fresh creative strategies. However, this shift could put smaller businesses under pressure, forcing them to rethink budgets and recalibrate their digital strategies.”

Alexandra Johansen, Account Manager at Carnsight Communications

“Don’t underestimate the impact of ephemeral content. Instagram made the ‘blink and you miss it’ feature a mainstay in the social media world, and the pandemic only saw its popularity rise. But attention seems to have wavered, with reels taking the spotlight. I think there’s something to be said for keeping your eye on the story function, though. It’s so well suited for ‘in the moment’ content, and this year, online communities want to feel like they’re keeping up with people and brands in real-time.

From my experience, this is often because it feeds into that illusion of intimacy and exclusivity, which audiences crave. It can come across as more authentic and genuine, showing a side that feels less curated (even if it isn’t). As this format’s popularity continues to rise, so will the need for our industry to be more ‘authentic’ and ‘in the moment’– whether that’s giving the story function some TLC or finding new ways to connect with ephemeral content.”

Becky Owen, Chief Marketing Officer at Billion Dollar Boy

“2025 will see more brands collaborate with creators to produce regular entertainment content formats – such as Chicken Shop Date and Hot Ones – driving brand love, and ultimately brand preference. The rise of social media platforms as incubators for dominant cultural entertainment signals a major milestone in the creator economy.

What once began as niche content created for specific audiences is now breaking through into the mainstream, embraced by both traditional media and the broader public.“

Chris Pearce: Managing Director at Greenpark

“Looking ahead, social media platforms are likely to develop enhanced search capabilities which will allow brands to respond with more personalised, AI-driven content that’s designed to meet these new search demands at scale. As businesses experiment with platform-native content to stay relevant, we’ll see a trend towards a more playful and less rigid approach to brand guidelines.

However, this creativity will be tempered by regulatory shifts coming into force to ensure safer online environments, such as the UK’s Online Safety Act. In the US, the Trump administration has outlined a strong support for innovation in AI and social media while exploring new benchmarks for content moderation. As a result, the industry will have to balance cutting-edge innovation in formats and delivery alongside a strong commitment to consumer safety and compliance.”

Samantha Kelly, Social Media Consultant, Author, International Speaker and Founder of Social Media Fest

“1. LinkedIn is becoming a more trusted platform with new vertical video feed driving more engagement and building trust. I myself have started to use it more than my preferred platform which was Twitter before it changed to X.

2. However, Twitter (X) is still essential for real time live news as it happens so although there has been a big exodus to bluesky or threads, they aren’t having the same vibe and value when it comes to live news as it happens in real time. Also with predicted changes to make X an all in one app for everything monetisation is already happening and shopping is arriving to this platform so this could become an interesting game changer for creators.

3. AI tools will thrive even more making it difficult to know what is real or not. But real will push through the noise. People want less polished versions of people now especially in B2B. People buy from people.

4. Influencer marketing will keep growing but with more authentic influencers. An influencer doesn’t have to have a thousands of followers but could have hundreds of the ‘right ones’. Communities that are engaged will be sought after by companies wanting to get in front of this community.

CEOs will no longer be able to avoid social media – They will be a big part of customer experience and be more active on their chosen platform to engage with employees and customers.They will become the company’s biggest marketeer by engaging with customers and allies more regularly and showing more behind the scenes and the ‘human’ side which will increase sales and brand advocates. Politicians are also using it more and the big winners here will be the ones who engage with their audience. People are ‘time poor’ and have less attention span so short form video is key.

Communities and little pockets of groups will become more important and active with private messaging becoming more prominent with mutual sharing of knowledge and assistance. Whatsapp groups although sometimes annoying can be the only social media platform that gen-X and older generations use.

More transparency especially when it comes to labeling sponsored content will be expected as customers decide where they spend their money. The cost of living crisis makes customers more selective.

Trust and authentic connection will become more important. There are a lot of people struggling right now so jealousy unfortunately might drive people to report influencers who seem like they ‘have it all’ especially if they break the rules.”

Chelsea Hopkins, Social Media and PR Manager at Fasthosts

“With recent reports that Meta wants AI profiles to be a persistent presence on their platforms and Meta AI accounts from 2023 being discovered and swiftly taken down after large amounts of backlash, things aren’t looking positive for the integration of AI into platforms. Combine this with the extremely prevalent issue of bots on X (despite the company claiming otherwise), and you have a social media landscape that makes the “Dead Internet Theory” look more like fact.

Going into 2025, it’s very likely that we’ll only see profiles either created with or run by AI continue to sweep across all platforms, causing the quality of the content to dilute at an exponential rate while “engagement” continues to rise – even if this engagement isn’t from real people. Put AI-generated images, video, and voices into the mix, and pretty soon some of the top influencers will be entirely gen-AI creations. However, this does mean that human-created content will be key, so to conquer social media in 2025 you’ll need to get real with it.”

Dorothy Tamuno, Founder of Many Rooms Studios

“My prediction is less people will use Instagram, and more people will use TikTok; just by the fact that TikTok provides more in-depth and real-life Video content compared to Instagram. There will be more podcasts launching and the visual podcasts will do much better than any other verbal blog. If you’re not producing TikTok-style video content, then you’re not reading the room!

Video content is completely taking over the internet and is the main reason why most people spend lots of time scrolling online. Podcasts need to be filmed, Pilates workouts need to be filmed, Products need to be demoed in a video, Fashion outfits needs to be modelled and be spoken about, on video. To take it a step further, videos that have a ‘natural feel’ – unplanned, unscripted, just caught this by chance type of videos – will most likely go viral.

As a content studio owner, I have discussed with multiple content creators who purposely hire the studio for ‘lifestyle content’. We host multimillion-pound companies that are known for the typically staged content, to hiring our studio for natural down-to-earth-type content.”

Aron Jheeta, Senior Paid Social Account Director at The PHA Group

“In 2025, the social media landscape will likely evolve significantly, driven by changing consumer behaviours and tighter regulations. Influencer storytelling will become even more sophisticated, focusing on authenticity and deeper narratives that foster stronger connections with audiences. As transparency becomes vital, influencers will need to clearly communicate brand partnerships, aligning with stricter advertising standards. This shift will not only enhance trust but also encourage more genuine collaborations.

“Additionally, employee-generated content (EGC) will rise as a vital content pillar. More and more brands will leverage their employees as ambassadors, highlighting internal culture and behind-the-scenes insights to humanise their brand. This approach will meet the growing demand for relatable, real content while aligning with evolving privacy laws and employment regulations. As these changes unfold, social media strategies will need to balance creativity with compliance, making storytelling and EGC pivotal in building trust and engagement in a more regulated digital environment.”