The social media trends of 2025 are diverse in nature as they range from practical solutions like social media customer service to en­ter­tain­ing content such as memes, and even include spaces for personal in­ter­ac­tion in the form of micro-com­mu­ni­ties. This means users can expect both useful and enjoyable content across social networks.

  1. Social media customer service
  2. Social media shopping
  3. In­ter­ac­tive content and augmented reality
  4. Video content
  5. New apps and tools like BeReal
  6. Vertical content
  7. Memes
  8. Social games
  9. Ar­ti­fi­cial in­tel­li­gence
  10. Micro-com­mu­ni­ties and spe­cial­ized forums
Note

Are you specif­i­cal­ly in­ter­est­ed in social media marketing? After the uncertain ups and downs of recent years, marketers have realized that they need to find the right marketing mix for social media as well and demon­strate agility. The focus is therefore on more short-term campaigns that can quickly respond to changing market con­di­tions. Ad­di­tion­al­ly, content must be easily and quickly mod­i­fi­able in terms of substance and style when the situation demands it.

In 2025, the way we use social media will be shaped by different factors. These trends will def­i­nite­ly be in­ter­est­ing and relevant for in­di­vid­ual users and companies alike. The trends listed below are not nec­es­sar­i­ly relevant for all social media platforms however.

Social media customer service offers a way to connect directly

An important social media trend that online shop owners and busi­ness­es should embrace in 2025 is customer support via social networks. Instead of making your customers fill out contact forms or write emails, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) or WhatsApp allow you to support your customers directly.

Customer service via social media not only enables more direct contact and exchange with your customers, but it can also pos­i­tive­ly impact your vis­i­bil­i­ty online. Other social media users will see how quickly you respond to your clients and how you react to questions or problems in general. Moreover, it can help to strength­en customer loyalty and your chances of gaining even more customers.

Some companies, like the music streaming service Spotify, have even es­tab­lished separate support accounts that often respond within minutes.

Image: Screenshot of the X account of SpotifyCares
Since 2012, Spotify has operated a support account called Spo­ti­fy­Cares on Twitter (now X); Source: https://x.com/spo­ti­fy­cares.

Social media shopping as a digital shopping ex­pe­ri­ence

Product sales on and through social networks—known as social commerce—have been popular for some time and will remain a key part of the marketing landscape in 2025. For busi­ness­es es­pe­cial­ly, in­te­grat­ing social media with online shops and landing pages is an important marketing tool.

Platform-specific features like Instagram Shopping and TikTok Store­fronts offer companies new ways to showcase products seam­less­ly and sell directly.

Similarly, Pinterest Shopping enables many sellers to directly link their products, sim­pli­fy­ing the buying process for customers.

Image: Screenshot of a Pinterest search for “painting frames”
On Pinterest, users can use the “shop” option to search for and purchase items from various websites.
Tip

Want to sell your products through social media platforms? Then take advantage of the Social Buy Button from IONOS and syn­chro­nize your online shop with the social networks of your choice.

In­ter­ac­tive content enables en­gage­ment

From polls and giveaways to in­ter­ac­tive in­fo­graph­ics and augmented reality tools, in­ter­ac­tive content remains one of the key social media high­lights in 2025. These formats are also an in­dis­pens­able email marketing trend, thanks to the high en­ter­tain­ment value they provide. They not only generate en­gage­ment but also increase the time users spend in­ter­act­ing with content.

For example, Instagram offers a poll sticker that lets users add a question with se­lec­table answer options to their stories. Results can be accessed and shared at any time.

Similarly, platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok offer in­ter­ac­tive video filters that encourage users to par­tic­i­pate cre­ative­ly.

Image: Screenshot of an Instagram post from Nivea with a slider sticker
Companies like Nivea use in­ter­ac­tive poll stickers and similar features on Instagram; Source: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?hl=en&next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fstories%2Fhigh­lights%2F18274391467059460%2F&is_from_rle

Videos are trending across platforms, achieving the highest click rates and ranking not only among the top social media trends but also as key online marketing trends. Besides the in­creas­ing­ly popular YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok and its al­ter­na­tives are es­pe­cial­ly popular for web video content.

In 2025, the focus remains on making videos ac­ces­si­ble to the widest possible audience. Ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty is key: subtitles and mul­ti­lin­gual options are essential since many video clips are watched on mobile devices without sound. This also ensures that hearing-impaired viewers can un­der­stand and enjoy your content.

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Social media app BeReal puts au­then­tic­i­ty in focus

The photo-sharing app BeReal has brought about another social media trend that is becoming more and more popular. Founded in France in 2020, BeReal has dis­tin­guished itself from similar apps like Facebook or Instagram by taking a different approach to how photos are shared.

What’s fas­ci­nat­ing about BeReal is that users are given a two-minute time limit to upload a snapshot of their day. Both the front and back cameras of the phone are used, capturing not only the user but also their view. This way, people regularly share authentic moments.

TikTok al­ter­na­tives—such as apps gaining hype like Lemon8—could grow in im­por­tance in 2025 across the US market. Busi­ness­es should closely monitor the de­vel­op­ment of emerging social media apps to assess their relevance and potential impact on American audiences.

Image: Screenshot of the BeReal website
With the new social media app BeReal, users can share a photo once a day with their friends and ac­quain­tances; Source: https://bereal.com/

Vertical content optimized for smart­phone screens

In general, all social media content should be designed with mobile devices in mind. Content should primarily be con­sum­able in vertical format so users don’t have to rotate their smart­phones to view videos and other media.

While the vertical format on a small screen may initially seem like a design challenge, mastering it is worth­while. Many companies, such as Starbucks, benefit from being able to showcase tall products—like Starbucks cups—that work par­tic­u­lar­ly well in vertical videos.

Image: Screenshot of a TikTok post from Starbucks
Companies like Starbucks use TikTok to present their products in a vertical format; Source: https://www.tiktok.com/@starbucks/video/7431687214863502634.

Memes, a long-es­tab­lished but still relevant social media trend in 2025, remain uni­ver­sal­ly popular. These typically humorous images with text overlays have become a staple of today’s internet culture. Many memes and the char­ac­ters depicted in them enjoy in­ter­na­tion­al recog­ni­tion—such as the Muppets’ Kermit the Frog or the “hide the pain Harold” meme.

Like GIFs, memes serve as a digital com­mu­ni­ca­tion tool that cre­ative­ly expresses reactions to various sit­u­a­tions. Sometimes they carry a (political) critical tone, while other times they simply entertain.

Image: Screenshot of a Google search for “kermit the frog meme”
Anyone searching for memes on Google will find a vast selection ready to be used on social media and beyond; Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=kermit+the+frog+meme

Social games provide in­ter­ac­tive play and chal­lenges

Another social media trend falls within the gaming category: social games are browser-based games typically playable on platforms like Facebook and its al­ter­na­tives. Depending on the social game, users can compete against friends or col­lab­o­rate with them. Games like Candy Crush and new mul­ti­play­er features on TikTok encourage in­ter­ac­tion between friends and brands. In 2025, the following games also rank among the most popular social games:

  • Roblox: Still a platform for creative games and in­ter­ac­tions, at­tract­ing millions of users worldwide.
  • Minecraft Realms: Playful cre­ativ­i­ty within small, exclusive com­mu­ni­ties.
  • Fortnite Creative Mode: Players can create and share their own game modes, enhancing the social aspect.
  • Candy Crush Saga: A classic that continues to maintain high user numbers, es­pe­cial­ly due to constant updates and new levels.

The im­por­tance of social games within certain platforms (like Facebook) is declining in 2025 compared to previous years, as new trends such as chal­lenges on platforms like TikTok gain more attention.

While games like Candy Crush and Roblox remain popular, the focus is in­creas­ing­ly shifting toward en­ter­tain­ing and viral content.

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Examples of TikTok chal­lenges in 2025:

  • Dance chal­lenges: Short videos featuring catchy chore­o­gra­phies, often started by in­flu­encers.
  • DIY chal­lenges: Creative projects like upcycling or cooking ideas that inspire users.
  • Humorous trends: Chal­lenges with a funny nature that encourage users to imitate them.

If your product has potential to tap into some of these viral trends, you should def­i­nite­ly do so. Platforms like TikTok can deliver as­ton­ish­ing reach and en­gage­ment rates through their algorithm, re­gard­less of your existing follower count.

Effects and content using ar­ti­fi­cial in­tel­li­gence

Ar­ti­fi­cial in­tel­li­gence elements are an essential part of social media trends. Ar­ti­fi­cial in­tel­li­gence has undergone sig­nif­i­cant de­vel­op­ment in recent years and has also made its way into social networks.

A popular example of this trend is the TikTok “AI Green­screen” effect. This is a text-to-image generator where users enter words or short phrases, and a back­ground image is generated based on their input.

AI tools—such as numerous TikTok effects or per­son­al­ized ads through ChatGPT in­te­gra­tions—are rev­o­lu­tion­iz­ing content creation and targeting.

Micro-com­mu­ni­ties are small groups with a big impact

Finally, micro-com­mu­ni­ties—online groups with fewer than 30 members—have emerged as a key social media trend in 2025. Users in­creas­ing­ly prefer con­nect­ing with a small circle of like-minded people over belonging to large com­mu­ni­ties. This fosters closer bonds and more frequent in­ter­ac­tions.

A well-known social media platform par­tic­u­lar­ly suited for this is Reddit. Reg­is­tered users can quickly create their own com­mu­ni­ties via desktop or app and set them as “public,” “re­strict­ed,” or “private.” They can also designate com­mu­ni­ties as “18+.”

Image: Screenshot of community creation on the Reddit app for iPad
On Reddit, you can create com­mu­ni­ties and engage with like-minded people on topics of your choice.
Summary

The social media landscape of 2025 will be shaped by both ongoing and emerging trends. Users will enjoy online en­ter­tain­ment through memes and social games, while practical features like social media customer service and shopping will also gain promi­nence. At the same time, ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty-focused video content, in­ter­ac­tive elements, and AI tools will offer new ways to ef­fec­tive­ly reach target audiences.

Ad­di­tion­al­ly, concepts such as in­ter­ac­tive elements and video content reveal parallels to current web design trends. Companies that remain flexible and focus on authentic content can leverage these trends to strength­en their reach and customer loyalty in 2025.

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