US social media trends to watch for in 2022 & beyond

The number of social media users worldwide will reach 3.96 billion by 2022. It's an increase from the mere 2.5 billion active users in 2017.

The use of social media is anticipated to rise even further in the upcoming years. However, as new platforms chip away at their market share, experts believe that the most well-liked platforms may lose a significant number of their customers.

The most significant social media trends for the upcoming several years will also be covered in this research.

Read more: Ways to Build a Combined Social Media Marketing Strategy

TikTok's popularity is growing among Gen Z users

Social media networks such as Facebook are generally used more than any other. But millennials prefer TikTok over other apps. And its popularity is rising even more quickly than projected by analysts.

In 2023, eMarketer forecasts that Facebook users under 25 will fall to less than 15%. By 2023, 44% of TikTok's users are under 25 years old, in contrast.

People in Generation Z (those in between ages of 10 and 25) spend one-fifth of their daily time on TikTok, which is more than five hours.

According to a 2021 survey, TikTok videos are quite effective for marketing to Gen Z. According to market forecasts, YouTube's ad revenue will be surpassed by TikTok in 2024. According to projections, TikTok will earn more than $11 billion in US advertising income that year. Marketers claim that the platform's effectiveness has increased significantly as well.

Only 3% of marketers in 2021 said it was the best platform for achieving their company objectives. That percentage increased by 700% in 2022, and 24% of respondents indicated that the platform was the most successful.

Companies use social media to help impatient customers by offering support

Consumers of today lack patience. They demand a prompt resolution to their issues. According to a HubSpot survey, 90% of consumers want a business to respond to their customer support inquiries right away. Many firms now provide customer care and support via social media in response to this need for speed and personalized attention. According to Zendesk, the number of customer service tickets sent via social media rose by 20% between 2020 and 2021.

33 percent of Americans utilized social media to complain to a brand as of 2017. According to a 2022 survey, 75% of Twitter users, 59% of Facebook users, and 34% of App users contact brands on these social media sites. Nearly half of those inquiries are related to problems with customer service.Nearly 50% of Americans see brands that address customer service complaints on social media more favorably.

Crisis Management on Social Media Becomes Essential

Less than 40% of American business executives had a "highly relevant" crisis plan in place as of 2020, despite the fact that more than 95% of companies anticipate experiencing a crisis in the next two years.

Many of these issues will be resolved on social media platforms since so many people utilize them. Information quickly spreads on social media, so if firms aren't monitoring their social channels, a relatively minor issue could turn into a crisis. A 2022 PRWeek study found that 88% of respondents said they needed assistance with social listening and 89% said they wanted to increase their capacity to predict possible disasters. Consumers increasingly want brands to be open and truthful when there is a problem.

According to a survey, 34% of customers want firms to react to a crisis on social media within 30 minutes. 61 percent of respondents to a Twitter-commissioned survey felt that firms should recognise crisis situations in their ads and communications when they arise.

The king of advertising is social media

Spending on digital advertising is increasing. In 2021, more than $521 billion was spent on online advertisements. According to experts, that amount might rise to $876 billion in 2026. A significant portion of that expenditure goes toward social media advertisements. In the United States, firms are anticipated to spend $177 billion on social media advertising in 2022, surpassing the amount spent on television advertising for the first time ever. 

On social media, authenticity and trust are the new selling tenets.

Brands that solely communicate about themselves and their products won't connect with consumers.

People seek out information that will be valuable to them in their daily life. They seek a personal relationship with a brand. They seek evidence that a brand is relatable and upholds their principles. Brands are adjusting their social media content so that it conveys a real story and strengthens brand authenticity. A company must be honest to both itself and its clients in order to have an authentic brand.

When it comes to developing brand authenticity, a few trends stand out. One trend is encouraging business executives to participate in social media conversations and discuss current events. 92 percent of respondents to a 2020 poll said they wanted their CEO to take a stand on contentious issues.

New Channels and Social Media Powerhouses Introduce Audio Options

Over the past 15 years, podcasting has become more and more popular. In 2021, 41% of adults in the United States over the age of 12 subscribed to at least one podcast. Social media networks want to take advantage of people's desire to listen to audio material in the upcoming months. The major players in social media are also launching their own audio-focused services.

Users can interact with other users using Twitter spaces and voice tweets. Facebook is developing new audio production tools. Audio Rooms will be available to users, as well as audio clips called Soundbites.

More options for augmented reality

There is a constant growth in the market for augmented reality (AR). Yet, it is expected in the future to pick up. By 2021, 48% of consumers will use AR in some way. A growing number of people are expected to use AR and VR as cell networks become more powerful and fast. The AR market is anticipated to bring in $70-$75 billion annually by 2023.