Welcome to the Inkling Culture Newsletter

Every week, someone from the Inkling team will be sharing their opinions, insights, and expertise here, across comms, PR, digital, experiential, creative and influencer marketing.

?Whether it's thoughts on the latest viral PR campaign and lessons we can learn from it, helpful design hacks from our studio team, or social media predictions by our digi squad, we hope you'll enjoy the weekly drop and join in the conversation.

?First up - Social Media Trends for 2024 (and how to use them)

Trend one - focus on community building

?As platforms continue to prioritise the value of community, a community-first social media strategy is essential. Meta in particular is promising more community-first features like broadcast channels and the rise of Threads, as they compete with the thriving communal nature of TikTok and younger generations preferring community focused apps ?(65% of Gen Z users feel more confident using apps like Twitch and Discord - Arena, 2023). Personally, we love this trend. Social media was born out of a desire for people to connect and foster communities of those with similar interests. As the potential of social media continues to reach new levels, we think it's so important to remember how social can enable you grow a legion of brand advocates and customers.

"From our work with Hitachi, we've seen the tangible value of investing in enhanced community management. Polls and quizzes often receiving the best engagement from our audience who are eager to learn more, all while providing us with valuable insights to inform future content we know our audience will want to see!" - Holly Haralambous , Social Media, and Content Executive

Trend two – generative AI

?Instagram will continue to flirt with AI features in 2024, having already tested AI stickers and image editing tools. Our digital and design team love working with Hitachi to share the amazing innovations they're pioneering to improve our planet and society, and we will be experimenting more with generative AI this year to visually imagine the future this innovative brand is working towards. Though as much as we’re integrating AI into our daily work, we are doing so with some trepidation…

"As a designer in 2024, AI provides an obvious cause for concern that has been well publicised. It’s something that is changing the landscape of the creative industry and only time will tell if this is for the better. Pinterest references risk becoming the foundational element of the visual narratives we formulate, and the way AI operates is in danger of inflating this issue tenfold, so nothing original is created. But I say all of this with AI currently being a part of my daily workflow. Already weaved throughout Adobe's software it's something I currently don't want to work without. It can significantly speed up tasks that would otherwise be cumbersome or mundane, providing more time for the more creative aspects of my role." - Samuel Elliott , Mid-Weight Designer

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Trend three - attention layering

?In an overstimulating content landscape, users, creators, and culture-leading brands are toying with other creative content hooks as a way of bringing people in - the ‘attention economy’ is shifting to the ‘immersion economy’ (WAS 2024 Trends Report).

?Trends such as the ‘Wes Anderson’ content style are in response to this, as they allow people to immerse themselves in a unique, emotionally and culturally resonate piece of content. We loved the Wes Anderson trend last year and it was cool to see how brands from completely different industries embraced it and made it relevant to their brand. We're excited to see how brands evolve this in 2024, and immerse people, sure AI will be involved too!

Trend four – platform evolutions

Platforms are ever-changing, as we’ve seen throughout 2023, as they compete for users’ attention and respond to the current social media climate. As social media experts, we're always intrigued to see what's next in store in terms of platforms. Will X finally drop off forever? Possibly. Will Threads come into its own? We think it might. Will there be a completely new social platform or trend that takes us all by surprise? Always. And that's what excites us.

"A strong social media strategy is business focused and its audience-focused, BUT it’s also ever-evolving and reactive – adopting platform and trend-first thinking. I see the social sphere as a vortex where everything both is and isn’t. Here's what I mean: TikTok is THE Gen Z platform, but it isn’t exclusively. Older audiences are flocking to TikTok, too. So, taking a dynamic approach is imperative. Embrace trends and adapt to platform shifts. Go beyond mere observation. A dynamic, adaptable strategy is your key to social media success in 2024." - Dani Montgomery , Social Media Senior Account Director

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Which of these trends do you think will reign supreme in 2024? Are there any other social media trends you think will be huge this year? Let us know in the comments.