With social media trend cycles moving faster than ever, we’re asking ourselves: what’s worth paying attention to the next year? HOOTSUIT defined the most important social media trends for 2024.

Short text-only posts are the sleeper of the year. Microblogging services are gaining momentum.

Social platforms will become the hottest new search engines. Recent surveys suggest that social media platforms are the second most popular way for Gen Z to research their shopping decisions, as users are looking for real insights from real people.

Longer videos will make a big comeback. When we say longer videos, we’re talking a length of two to five minutes per video instead of less than a minute. The first reason is that the big platforms keep increasing their max video lengths. The second reason is that users frequently turn to social networks to answer questions they might normally pose to Google, so content creators answer questions in-depth in their videos, which takes more time.

Engagement will move from feeds to direct messages. Brands and organizations need to get comfortable with the fact that DMs are the preferred communication method for most social media users.

Shares will matter more than comments or followers, as they can hardly be faked. Unlike comments and followers, shares represent actual value. When someone shares your content, you know they’re willing to vouch for you to their own audience.

Telegram might become the next super app. What was once an app for sending secure messages to friends now has many enticing social features.

TikTok Shop will spark a re-emphasis on authenticity. TikTok will continue to be the birthplace of video trends. TikTok’s demographic skews younger, and the platform is always a couple of steps ahead of its Meta-owned rival in terms of editing features, filters, and audio clips.

Social media managers and marketers will bevome best friends with AI. AI can help you get words on the page faster, brainstorm ideas, and create many variants of a specific message for testing.

You won’t ignore YouTube shorts anymore. According to Google Trends, American interest in YouTube Shorts has increased by more than 500% since 2021. In 2022, there were 1.5 billion monthly active users on YouTube Shorts. In 2023, that number rose another half billion.