2020's Social Media Trend Predictions

Holy smokes it’s 2020! The roaring 20’s are back, let’s just hope we can make this decade as memorable as the 1920’s. Maybe we’re not going to see flapper girls in the office, but we are certainly going to see a lot of things the 1920’s couldn’t have dreamt of. 

We’re sure the 20’s will bring some fresh changes to the world of social media, as well as seeing other things fade into insignificance. Here are our predictions for 2020’s social media trends.  

Brands That Stand 

More than ever we live in a world where people stand for something. Everyone has their fight to fight. Millennials and Gen Z are the future and never have generations been more socially aware. We think brands that stand for a social cause, like feminism or sustainability are the future. We have seen the first evolution of this, with ‘sustainable’ brands ‘green washing’ products etc. But consumers have knowledge at their fingertips and are digging deeper into brands than ever before. We predict that more brands than ever are going to be taking a firm stance on social issues, and really delivering! 

Authenticity is the Name of the Game 

We are all bored of looking at perfect stock images. Families smiling around a Christmas tree, impossibly thin people eating bowls of fruit and happy hikers off on holiday in impossibly sunny weather. We think that we are going to see a huge rise in people just being people. Over the last two years we have seen Instagram influencers rise to fame, not because they’re perfect, but because they are full, rounded, no-apologises-needed, real people. We think more brands are going to latch onto this and use it in their social media.  

Customer Service Becomes Fully Digital 

70% of customers when faced a choice will choose "Message Us" button over "Call Us". Fact. Who these days picks up the phone and likes listening to the jingle of ‘call waiting’. We have already seen most companies integrate a live ‘message us’ button. But we think the 20’s will see the end of call centres, and customer services reps being replaced with AI tech and an increasing number of customers contacts brands through social media.  

Interactive Marketing on the Rise 

If Netflix taught us anything, them rocking the digital landscape with Black Mirror’s ‘Bandersnatch’ taught us that people love to participate. We predict that we are going to see a huge rise in marketing through customer participation. This could be through quizzes, or apps or games… we’re not sure yet. Let’s wait and see what tech giants like Tencent are going to roll out.  

Social Selling Booms 

Social Media has been used to sell products for a while now. There is no where in the world where it’s bigger right now than in China. We predict that the West is going to be jumping on this band wagon lickity-split and new social media platforms optimised for social eCommerce are going to emerge.  

Augmented Reality is Here to Stay 

Augmented reality is something that has been in development for years. And keys players such as IKEA are already using it as a marketing tool. Whilst this industry has a way to go, we think this is going to be the future of marketing! We are certain that augmented reality is going to become a big part of social media. 

What are your thoughts? Any ideas on how you think the social media landscape will change in the next few years? 

 By Claire Lily Squire 

Director of Social Media 

GenNow PR & Communications