Social 2.0 Social media’s survival of the fittest, and how marketers fit in

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20,000 foot view: The history of social media has long been defined by continual evolution and iteration, but now shifts across the value chain are becoming more substantive, heralding a new era. Social platforms themselves are changing, and so too are the attitudes, expectations, and behaviours of their users, with audiences’ appetites for carefully curated, heavily edited posts turning sour, and their thirst for authentic, participatory content growing stronger. We are moving to a new, creator-first era which will require marketers to rethink strategy and that will see most value reside with influencers who best reflect the values of their audiences. This is the era of social       

Key insights:

• As a result of the redirection to creator-led social media, platforms are shifting from “consumers are the product” to “creators are the products’ product”
• Social needs more than ads:        of consumers pay attention to ads that are relevant to them – with the remaining either skipping the ad        letting it play without paying attention        or not really noticing it       
• Creators represent a new monetisation frontier, with consumers now being incentivised to pay for subscriptions to support their favourite creators
• China represents vast scale but is hard to access for Western brands, with WeChat campaign registration, approval, and costs a case in point
• TikTok and YouTube saw the most growth for every age group during        oversaturated attention economy
• So long as updates are complimentary to their USP, social platforms can evolve successfully through adopting and adapting popular features from other apps
• Consumer desire for authenticity and interest in real-life, behind-the-scenes information is what pushes content to be viral most
• Advertisements in metaverse concerts and games livestreams are just the tip of the iceberg, with long-term virtual communities driving future IRL success
• Brand deals with influencers are becoming more intricate and entertaining, and reflect the growing consumer interest in reality and relatability
• Creator funds are making “influencing” a possible full-time career for creators, as opposed to a hobby
• However, the further from relatability a celebrity or influencer gets, the more supporters they will lose, making this a social clout conundrum

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Addison Rae, Aldi, Amber Heard, BeReal, Big Brother, Brookieandjessie, BTS, Colin the Caterpillar, Discord, Dixie D’Amelio, Don’t Worry Darling, Elon Musk, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Florence Pugh, Footasylum, Footasylym Locked In, Friendster, GkBarry, He’s All That, IGTV, Instagram, Johnny Depp, Ken Russel, Kim Petras, LinkedIn, Marks & Spencer, Meghan Trainor, Meta, Musical.ly, Myspace, Netflix, Olivia Wilde, Pete Davidson, Redbyrd, Sam Smith, SixDegrees, Snapchat, Super Follows, Taylor Swift, Tefi Pesoa, TikTok, Tumblr, Twitch, Twitter, Twitter Blue, Vine, WeChat, WhatsApp, WordPress, Yahoo! GeoCities, YouTube, YouTube Shorts, Zebr, Zine