2025 Social Media Study: 2024 Trends Report and Previous Study Comparison
We analyzed data from over 1 million accounts and over 21 million posts from 8 social networks to measure the evolution of the different platforms, forecast 2025 trends, and compare the results with our 2024 study.
- Which social network is best for growing and creating a community?
- Which platform gets the most interactions?
- Which social network achieves more engagement?
- Which platform should you choose for each stage of the sales funnel?
These are some of the questions we asked when we decided to perform our Social Media Study, the definitive guide to making strategic decisions based on real data.
Now it’s your turn: download the full study for free, explore its pages, analyze the data, and find opportunities to grow your brand.
Get the study and discover the power of building a data-driven strategy:
Social Media Trends 2025
We observed a key trend in our Social Media Study: the importance of video. It continues to reign as the number 1 content format, and more and more platforms are joining the video revolution. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube were joined by LinkedIn at the end of last year, along with X, which has added a tab for direct video access in its app.
Video dominates reach and interactions on social media. It remains the greatest resource for brands and content creators to attract attention. Whether it’s short or long form, video is your not-so-secret weapon for connecting with audiences. Even so, don’t forget to explore other content formats that can help you achieve your goals and boost your presence on social networks, like Instagram carousels.
The social media algorithm is also the order of the day in 2025 trends. In our study, we found that smaller accounts have carved out their own space on certain platforms, where it is easier to grow because the algorithm promotes content based on quality, rather than who shares it, as is the case with Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Where is it easiest for small accounts to grow?
Interactions are hugely influential in what the algorithm decides to show or not. The higher the number of interactions, the more attention the algorithm gives and the more likely it is to recommend this content to more users. YouTube is the interaction leader, with the greatest user participation of all the platforms we studied.
The best way to get those ever-important interactions is to share content that brings value, useful and authentic content is the key to reaching a wider audience. Show the human side of your brand, take advantage of social media trends or practical tips that encourage your target audience to share your content, and multiply your reach.
Download the full study and access nearly 100 pages full of info and data that you won’t find anywhere else:
Conclusions by Social Network
The main focus of our study is social networks, from which we extracted the data and found social media trends for 2025. In our full study, you will find detailed information on each platform and key metrics, with a look at how they evolved through 2024.
To whet your appetite, in this social media report, we have prepared 8 conclusions for each social network and a summary of their situation, although later you can draw your own conclusions from the data to make strategic decisions.
Facebook is still the most popular social network, with over 3 billion monthly users, but it is sinking in key metrics. Meta’s other social network, Instagram, still leads the way thanks to reels and “resurrecting” the feed with 20-slide carousels.
Speaking of short videos, TikTok is the holy grail of reach, a social network with no ceiling that represents great opportunities to boost your brand’s presence. In turn, YouTube has become a huge competitor for the big players, thanks to its unstoppable dominance of the long video format and increasingly popular ‘Shorts’.
A Special mention for LinkedIn, a platform that is leaving its strictly professional roots behind and becoming increasingly social, as evidenced by its commitment to short videos.
Pinterest has overcome its inferiority complex and now has more than 500 million users: its aesthetic qualities and external linking have worked wonders.
Meanwhile, X, after its first full year with its new name, is surviving thanks to committed users who are unlikely to abandon the platform. Lastly, Twitch has suffered a drop in key numbers: a lower number of broadcasts, a general drop in views, and a decline in the number of users.
8 social networks 8 conclusions
- Facebook: The most used, but with big drops in key metrics.
- Instagram: Prominence of reels, starting to bring attention back to posts.
- TikTok: The Holy Grail of reach, a social network with no ceiling.
- YouTube: An all-terrain social network now competing with the major players.
- LinkedIn: The professional platform is more social than ever.
- Pinterest: The importance of clicks and visual presence.
- X: Surviving after a tumultuous year.
- Twitch: The fall of the live streaming empire.
Download the Social Media 2025 Study with all the data we’ve gathered.
2025 Social Network Study Data
What was the Social Media Study sample?
We analyzed more than 1 million accounts from these social networks: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X and Twitch.
To pull the data from each platform we used the following samples of accounts and posts:
Now it’s your turn, leave a comment letting us know what you thought of the study and which data surprised you the most.
Draw your own conclusions with the data and supercharge your strategy for success.
Remember, you can measure and analyze your social media activity across all platforms with Metricool.
