Staying on top of social media trends is essential to maintaining visibility and engagement in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape. As we move deeper into 2025, several major updates and behavioral shifts are impacting how brands connect with audiences across platforms. Here’s what your team needs to know to stay ahead of the curve.
Instagram Algorithm Changes That Matter
Instagram made some impactful updates in recent months:
- Reels and Original Video Content Are King: As of April 2024, Instagram began heavily boosting original video content like Reels, while static posts and reposted content were deprioritized.
- Friends & Family > Brands: Instagram’s algorithm now prioritizes posts from friends and family over brands, leading to an estimated 30% decline in organic reach for business accounts.
- Hashtag Following Removed: In December 2024, Instagram discontinued the “follow hashtag” feature, removing a previously useful discovery tool for branded content.
Platform-Wide Cleanups
If your brand noticed a drop in followers, you’re not alone:
- Fake & Inactive Accounts Purged: Meta conducted massive cleanups in late 2024 and early 2025, removing tens of millions of fake and inactive accounts. This disproportionately affected larger brand accounts—even those gaining real followers.
Gen Z Behavior: Redefining Discovery
Gen Z’s evolving behavior is shaping how brands should approach content:
- For You Feeds Win: Gen Z prefers algorithm-driven discovery (like TikTok’s “For You” page) over manually following brands.
- Multi-Platform Attention: Younger users now split their time across TikTok, Instagram , and YouTube—making it harder to grow consistently on just one platform.
- Follow-less Engagement: Many users engage without following since the algorithm will serve them similar content anyway.
Brand Trends Across the Board
Even brands with strong content strategies have noticed challenges:
- Growth Slowing: Lifestyle brands, in particular, have seen slower Instagram growth post-2024—even when leaning into video-first content strategies.
Platform-Specific Insights
- Reels & Native Video = Priority: Carousel and static posts now underperform.
- In-Post SEO Is Key: Hashtags matter less—captions with searchable keywords are now critical.
- Meaningful Engagement > Likes: Instagram favors content that earns comments, shares, and saves.
TikTok
- Low Follower Commitment: Audiences engage with content without hitting follow.
- High Views, Low Follows: Viral content won’t always build a following unless brands include clear CTAs or build personal connections.
- Organic Reach Hit New Lows: Less than 3–4% of page followers see brand posts organically.
- Short Video Wins: Videos under 60 seconds often outperform longer content—unless boosted.
YouTube
- Shorts Are Huge, But Tricky: YouTube Shorts reached over 70 billion daily views by 2024. However, subscribers from Shorts often don’t stick unless supported by long-form content. As such, a strategic mix of YouTube Shorts and long-form content is the best way to turn passive scrollers into loyal subscribers and customers.
- Major Discovery Channel for Gen Z: YouTube is now the #2 discovery platform after TikTok, forming a powerful trifecta with TikTok and Instagram.
How Beyond Fifteen Helps You Stay Ahead
The social media landscape is evolving rapidly, with new algorithm shifts, platform cleanups, and behavioral changes shaping how brands must show up online. At Beyond Fifteen, our social media services are designed to help you adapt and thrive. Whether you’re looking to build a video-first strategy, create content tailored to Gen Z, or navigate the latest changes on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, we’re here to help.
We stay ahead of the trends—so you don’t have to.
Ready to elevate your social media presence? Contact us to learn more about our strategy and content creation services.
