The use of social media as a search engine is one of the trends that will gain even more momentum this year, predicts Cecilia Victoria Kärrberg, social media strategist and CEO of the agency Digitalsnack.
– It could be inspiration for a trip or to learn something, it could be that before the election we search for people, opinions or hashtags. We are increasingly moving towards using social media not just as a pastime but as a source of information.
In addition, she says that microlearning, that we learn things through short film clips, is a growing trend.
– This was quite typical for YouTube when it came, that it was used as a knowledge channel. Now we see that the material is getting shorter and shorter.
Another change that can be seen on Instagram, among other things, is that we used to discuss more in open comment fields, while nowadays we prefer to chat and share content in private channels and closed groups.
“Selected page”
The conversations are also moved to threads in the new Twitter challenger Threads from Facebook’s owning company Meta.
Kärrberg assesses that Threads has so far mainly been received by so-called “early adopters” (people who are often the first to hook onto new technology).
She believes that the channel will gradually grow during the year.
– The conversation climate on Threads in Sweden is still very positive, so many have closed their accounts on X. You can say you have chosen a side.
The problems for X have been many since billionaire Elon Musk took over. Voices have been raised about a lack of moderation, that personal attacks are allowed, and that misinformation is given free reign – which has caused many companies and brands to leave X.
At the same time, 2023 saw a growth among users, mainly among young men.
– It may be that some leave for another target group so that there will be a completely different climate and a completely different channel in 2024.
Is Facebook coping?
Another platform that is losing users is Facebook, which is going strong among 60- and 70-somethings, but is being opted out by younger people.
At the same time, Facebook is still an infrastructure in many people’s lives where you take part in events and groups, write messages in Messenger or shop on the buying and selling site Marketplace, according to Kärrberg.
– They have so many peripheral services that we are connected to, so even if we say we don’t use Facebook, we still do it in one way or another. I think we will still need Facebook for some time to come, but not in the same way.
“Tired of polished surface”
Even Instagram, which is also owned by Meta, is losing the youngest users.
– People are tired of the polished surface of social media, especially young girls choose other channels such as Tiktok and Snapchat.
The fact that Tiktok, which is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance, receives a lot of attention – both positively and negatively – contributes to attracting even more people to the app, according to Kärrberg.
– It has the greatest growth when we look at all social media channels. I think Tiktok as a channel and buying channel will establish itself even stronger.
According to Cecilia Victoria Kärrberg, the market for influencers remains strong and there are many profiles that “push to buy” in their feeds. At the same time, she sees a growing number of accounts with a more sustainable orientation.
– We see that a strong counterpart to the consumer society is emerging where we have green influencers who use social media to try to inspire.