Social media is constantly changing, and the landscape in 2025 has been no different. 

In many ways, we’re moving faster than ever: shorter attention spans, accelerated trend cycles, and content that disappears as quickly as it surfaces on our algorithms. Conversely, this year has seen social take a step backwards, with audiences craving depth, connection and substance in ways we haven’t seen for years.

Our daily WhatsApp bulletin, weekly LinkedIn newsletter and Battenhall Monthly deep dive means we’re constantly on top of changes. Here are five of the key forces that shaped social media this year – as well as some thoughts on what’s to come…

1. Nostalgia marketing

Nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool, and social media has doubled down on it this year.

In the early days of social media, we used to get joy from simpler content: goofy memes, unfiltered status updates, lo-fi videos, and connection without the pressure of performance and metrics. 

This year, we started to shift back to this mentality. The ever-growing force of TikTok, with its snackable, unpolished content, highlighted the return to playfulness. Brands far and wide leaned into more retro aesthetics, throwback references, and early-internet humour to spark joy and drive engagement. 

But while nostalgia has brought back short, snackable content, there’s also been an unexpected return of meatier posts…

2. Resurgence of long-form content

Perhaps one of 2025’s most unexpected shifts has been the return to long-form content, which is now booming.

Platforms, such as Substack, are thriving as audiences seek deeper storytelling and conversations with depth. And it’s not just written content – longer videos, extended podcast episodes, and platforms increasing maximum video lengths all signal a hunger for substance.

Longer-form content is also a win for search and SEO/GEO relevance. With expertise and authority being two important search factors, long-form content can boost a brand’s credibility by giving search engines more to scan and lift from. 

Creators and brands can also benefit from stronger audience retention. Longer content pieces by nature tempt audiences to stay, but over time can also build trust and keep users coming back for more.

The winning strategy looks like using a combination of short- and long-form content. The former to reach and hook new audiences, and the latter to then nurture, build trust and retain them.

3. The decline of hashtags

Once the lynchpin of social media discovery, the role of the hashtag has changed – and 2025 saw them being used less and less.

Instagram shifted towards SEO-driven discovery, with hashtags mattering less than keyword discovery. On TikTok, trends and user behaviour outrank hashtag use, while Facebook sees similarly low visibility and engagement. The strongest use case for hashtags is LinkedIn, where they retain their discoverability value with users still searching for specific topics this way. 

Platform-wide, however, the trend is clear: context now beats categorisation.

4. The rise of Reddit

Although technically 20 years old, Reddit has risen to prominence in 2025, quietly becoming one of the most influential platforms of the year.

A thirst for community has been a key driver of this shift, with audiences craving authenticity and wanting to participate in deeply engaged conversations around the (often niche) topics they really care about. Simply put, you can find a tribe for just about anything on Reddit.

In the era of marketing fatigue, Reddit provides a refreshing space where community spirit and dialogue is king. But that’s not to say it’s impossible to advertise on the platform. Ads are growing on the platform, but the most successful are those that remain natural and authentic. Community management offers a more subtle brand-building opportunity too, enabling brands to gain credibility by thoughtfully joining discussions relevant to their sector.

Reddit isn’t the place for polished campaigns – it’s where brands can show up as people, for people.

5. AI transforming social strategy

It’s been impossible to ignore AI this year, mainly because it’s literally everywhere. While it’s exciting for many, some are concerned about its potential use cases. 

But when it comes to social strategy, AI has serious transformative capabilities that we’ve spent the year exploring at Battenhall:

• Persona development: conversational AI can be used to develop personas and content tactics. This enables us to dive into the thought processes of audiences, unearth crucial insights, and explore ideas by using the bot as a sounding board.
  
  
• Sourcing and playing with research: tools like Gemini and ChatGPT Pro help us source market and consumer insights quickly, which are then sense-checked by our team for accuracy. We then dive in, query the data, and unearth all sorts of information that can help form the foundations of a social strategy.
  
  
• Idea development: AI can be used to help structure brainstorms to tease out ideas that may not have come out otherwise. Afterwards, AI can lend a critical eye to ideas developed, helping determine those worth pursuing.

What’s coming in 2026?

We unveiled our predictions for the social media landscape in 2026 at our recent annual event briefing. You can find out more about them, and much more, in our Year Ahead in Social 2026 report.

From the emergence of Gen Alpha, and the double-edged sword of online virality, to the rise of AI influencers, and the decline of trend-chasing, 2026 looks set to be as transformative as the last 12 months have been.

Our findings all have a common red thread: the need for brands to accept they can no longer control the narrative. Those who embrace authenticity, community, and richer long-form content on social media stand to build more meaningful, longer-lasting connections with audiences old and new.

‍Our Year Ahead in Social 2026 report can be downloaded here. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback - email hello@battenhall.com.