All content published on the internet has a short life span. Or, put another way, everything new is short-lived. The content that Internet users consume and the formats they use to do so are evolving at a dizzying pace. And the same happens with social networks, where something that is a trend today will be totally forgotten tomorrow.

An example of this are the TT ( Trending Topic ) of Twitter : the Super Bowl was only a trend during the day it was broadcast and the day after. And so on until next year. This occurs due to the immediacy of the news events. That is, if what happens today we tell in a few days, it will no longer have that interest in users.

In addition, to this we have to add all the changes that the world is experiencing due to the pandemic. All of us, to a greater or lesser extent, have had to adapt to these changes or new normality: the use of a mask, curfews, the number of people in meetings, etc. And, of course, social networks were not going to be less. If something had been planned for them in early 2020, months later the trends evolved and changed at the rate that the pandemic did.

So what are the social media trends if they have changed so much? Write down these eight, because they will mark 2022 of corporate and personal social platforms.

New social media trends

Memes everywhere

Who can think of a better way to sum up 2021 than in memes ? Images that make us laugh, viral and updated that reach all internet users either through one platform or another.

They are contents that entertain us, especially those who make them, and are a perfect example of adaptation : they evolve in a dizzying way and are up to date with all trends.

But they not only work on a personal level but in the commercial sphere they are a widely used tool to reach more public in a non-invasive way. Because we all like to receive a meme that makes us laugh and share it.

Nostalgia as a marketing strategy

One of the most used marketing resources is remembering better times and sharing images of products that were used decades ago and do not exist today. Especially in the middle of the pandemic, when it seems to us that ‘any time in the past was better’.

This is used by large brands, using, for example, images from years ago in which the word ‘mask’ was not so widely used. Thus, by sending positive messages, they get the user to disconnect from the news for a few seconds.

It is one of the social media trends that will most mark 2022, especially since it is the year in which the first anniversary of the start of the state of alarm is celebrated.

Social awareness

This trend, along with the following, is being the queen in Social Media Content strategies. The big brands and popular characters carry out an awareness-raising task through social networks. They are followed by millions of users who pay attention to everything that, for example, influencers or footballers do. Thus, that these characters raise their voices in situations of injustice generates a social impact and a positive response in, above all, young people.

Marketing resources adapted to Covid-19

Everyone, digital and non-digital, has had to adapt to the “new normal” that the pandemic has brought us to. All of us are making an effort, but also companies that use social networks in a professional way: they have had to multiply their efforts at a creative level to ensure that sales strategies are not in vain.

Now, more than ever, digitisation is growing at a dizzying rate, and with it, online shopping. Social media platforms have been forced to reinforce e-commerce, since online sales are the protagonists in these times. Either because the buyer feels more secure through internet commerce or because of the restrictions that lead to the closure of physical stores.

This translates into a greater emphasis on social media on how to buy products or services online. In fact, not only physical stores have adapted to this format: psychologists who perform online therapies, private classes, meetings, etc.

In this sense, audiovisual platforms such as Netflix or videoconferences such as Zoom have played a leading role, which have experienced their subscription peak in the months of confinement.

Stop fake news

But in social networks not everything is a bed of roses: they also have their negative side. One of the detractors of social platforms is the speed at which fake news spreads. The so-called fake news and the dissemination of ‘hoaxes’ on the internet have brought with them many problems, especially legal ones. Such is the impact of this news that many platforms have been faced with the need to integrate the possibility of assessing whether it is fake news or not.

This is what Twitter is doing. The platform is testing the implantation of the dislike button. Other companies are also studying the possibility of not allowing content to be shared if it has not been opened in the browser by the user before, to prevent information from being shared without having been read or verified.

Platforms have also been born that are responsible for investigating the origin of the hoax and its veracity, to later deny such information on social networks.

Fusion between social networks and gaming

The video game market has been triumphing in social networks for several years, but it has been now, after confinement, when it has experienced its boom. This has made social networks consider merging with Gaming platforms, as Facebook or YouTube have already done.

In this sense, Twitch has had a great role. It is a platform, owned by Amazon, that allows live broadcasts. One of its main functions is live video game broadcasting, having YouTube as its main competitor. With this, in addition, the role of gamer was born, the new influencers.

This platform reached five billion views during confinement.

Live broadcasts or Live-Streaming

This trend is closely linked to the previous one and to e-commerce. Both Facebook and Instagram are already considering the possibility of adding direct purchase links or including ads in IGTV videos, as they are an increasingly used and demanded format.

Greater consumption of Stories and videos as protagonists

This, more than a single trend, are two that are closely related. Such is the success of Instagram and Facebook stories that there have already been other social networks that have included them: LinkedIn, Spotify and Twitter. In this last platform the stories take the name of Fleets.

In fact, the consumption of stories is already much higher than that of publications on the feed or wall, so it is a trend that brands large and small should take into account. Especially if the stories are about videos, since the growth of audiovisual content on all social platforms is incredible.

This already happened with YouTube: users have always preferred a tutorial on how to install a program than read it somewhere. Now, YouTube continues to be the protagonist in the social media trends of 2022, along with the famous TikTok, Reels and IGTV videos.

Conclusion

Now that you know which social media trends Honest London predicts in 2022, you can start putting them into practice. From Social Media Management, we can help you grow your brand: we study the target audience, develop a strategy and include these trends in it. We take care of everything: registration, design, configuration, customisation and SMO.