The shifting social landscape leaves a lot to unpack, with parallel trends of consolidation and fragmentation. Social platforms are now largely about entertainment first and connecting with friends second. Many major platforms reinforce this dynamic by pushing a few-to-many distribution model. While this can be positive for creators in terms of discovery, the trade-off is that returning audiences are less consistent, and engagement remains surface level. Creators and their teams need to navigate this dynamic strategically, choosing the right platforms for the right purposes. Equally, platforms can adapt and specialise to different niches to provide competitive value. This report addresses those strategies and outlines how creators and platforms can adapt to changing consumer habits.

Key data and insights in this report:

• Consumer behaviour on social platforms
• Main reasons for using social media
• Hours spent on social media by social platform
• Weekly usage of a range of social platforms
• Money spent on concerts, in-game purchases and music merchandise
• Number of specific creator subscriptions consumers pay for
• Consumer sentiment about around fanbases and scenes they are a part of
• Behaviours consumers engaged with in the last year to support their favourite artist(s)

Data used:

• MIDiA Research Consumer Survey Q2 2025, all market summary, n = 9,003

Companies and brands mentioned: Apex Legends, Bluesky, Discord, Dungeons & Dragons, EVEN, Facebook, Facebook Gaming, Facebook Messenger, Fr3n, Fred Again, Instagram, Instagram Reels, Levellr, LinkedIn, Patreon, Snap Discovery, Snap Spotlight, Snapchat, Substack, Taylor Swift, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, WhatsApp, X, YouTube