A brand new Instagram app. So many (too many?) AI-generated motion figures. Le Poisson Steve.
Not even midway by way of 2025, we’ve endured sufficient platform information and surprising content material traits to fill a minimum of three full 12 months calendars. Which is why at Sprout we’re continually checking in with audiences and social entrepreneurs to grasp what’s touchdown in at present’s social panorama, what’s falling flat and whether or not manufacturers actually need to concern themselves with the most recent type of mind rot.
Our latest Q2 2025 Pulse Survey of over 2,000 social media customers throughout the US, UK and Australia dug into an array of points—from which rising platforms are piquing audiences consideration (and why) to what folks actually assume it means for manufacturers to be daring on social. Here’s what we discovered.
The rising platforms customers flip to and why
Between boycotts, bans and new entrants, the final couple years have created unprecedented ranges of community fragmentation. Greater than ever, social groups (and their leaders) are asking questions on which rising platforms they should prioritize and tips on how to allocate already restricted inside sources.
Sprout’s newest information exhibits that social customers are most keen to extend their time on community-based platforms like Reddit within the close to time period, extra so than nascent areas like Bluesky or Mastodon. No matter platform kind, Gen Z and Millennials are most probably to drive adoption. Male customers are additionally extra doubtless than feminine customers to need to check these platforms.
However what’s pushing folks into new territory? Throughout demographics, customers’ major motivation for attempting new platforms is after they already know folks utilizing them—signaling a possible want to get away from sponsored content material and again to the essence of OG, human-to-human social. Gen Z is barely extra more likely to be swayed if influencers they like have already got a presence on these platforms.
A stunning twist on the non-public impacts of social media
Debates about social media’s impression on our wellbeing return so far as the unique networks themselves. Extra just lately, they’ve served as the idea for proposed social media age limits in sure areas. However throughout the board, our Pulse Survey respondents really feel the professionals of social far outweigh the cons.
Most customers (60%) say social has had a optimistic impact on their psychological well being during the last six months, in comparison with solely 18% who report a detrimental impact. Greater than half (53%) say it’s positively impacted their social lives, and 47% really feel it’s improved their monetary selections. There’s a motive “edutainment” continues to high the listing of content material varieties audiences search out on social. Folks need to study one thing new, they usually need it delivered in a compelling manner.
Throughout every of those areas, youthful generations are essentially the most optimistic. Moderately than understand social as a time suck, a magnet for impulse purchases or a solo exercise, Gen Z and Millennials are curating their feeds to change into a welcome reprieve from troubling present occasions and mining platforms for a lot wanted monetary training (e.g., FinTok) and group bonding that’s additive to their in-person social circles.
How customers need manufacturers to point out up proper now
No day passes on the planet of social with no new instance of manufacturers striving to be unhinged, or a marketer waxing poetic in regards to the significance of authenticity. However how does this line up with viewers expectations?
Our analysis exhibits that customers understand “daring” manufacturers to be trustworthy and inspirational—extra so than fashionable, humorous or unfiltered.
Reinforcing our findings from The 2025 Sprout Social Index™, the businesses that stand out on social are these which are upfront about their merchandise, companies and what they stand for. So it’s unsurprising that the #1 factor audiences would name out manufacturers for is being unethical—extra so than their pricing, or the stances they tackle public points.
Rising demand for serialized content material
On this context, it’s clear folks aren’t opening up their social apps simply to see a stream of manufacturers leaping on the most recent AI-generated content material development. When requested what manufacturers ought to prioritize most on social proper now, customers put equal weight on viewers interactions and publishing authentic, recurring content material sequence.
Like The 2025 Content material Benchmarks Report highlights, making an impression on social isn’t essentially about posting extra—it’s about creating helpful content material and connections. Serialized content material provides manufacturers the room to inform richer tales and make their prospects really feel seen.
Respondents informed us that they’re most compelled to interact with model sequence after they inform full tales inside every publish or episode, and after they function a solid of characters they get to know over time. The perfect half? These constraints are community and format agnostic.
eBay Motors’ just lately went all-in on an Instagram sequence the place they despatched two auto influencers to the 2025 Miami Grand Prix (the primary two episodes alone earned almost 5 million views). Taking video fully out of the equation, courting app Hinge introduced the second “season” of its No Peculiar Love Substack sequence, the place writers inform the actual love tales of {couples} who met by way of the platform.
Social media and the client journey
We’ve mentioned it earlier than however it bears repeating: All enterprise is social. Our newest information confirms that manufacturers must be investing in social as a full-funnel channel (not only a peripheral tactic)—or threat dropping market share to rivals that do.
Exhibit A: the rise of social search. Whereas most individuals’s major intuition when on the lookout for data continues to be to show to conventional search engines like google and yahoo—Gen Z ranks social because the #1 place they flip to. Whether or not they’re on the lookout for product critiques, restaurant suggestions or how-to tutorials, audiences more and more need solutions from actual folks (and infrequently, in video type). Social networks ship on each.
As customers commit extra consideration to their feeds, the potential for social to drive real-world monetary implications grows. Irrespective of the way you take a look at it, the actions manufacturers take—or fail to—on social impression audiences’ resolution to purchase or defect.
Greater than three-quarters (76%) of Pulse Survey respondents say social (be it adverts, influencer or model content material) has impacted their purchases during the last six months. And nearly as many (64%) say when a model companions with certainly one of their favourite influencers, they’re extra prepared to purchase.
Even in a troublesome financial local weather, youthful generations usually tend to purchase issues they uncover on social. Between the downstream impacts of tariffs and continued company layoffs, solely 28% of all customers say they’re extra doubtless to purchase one thing they discovered by way of social within the coming months. This rises to 43% for Gen Z and 36% for Millennials—proving that audiences are nonetheless prepared to pay for the appropriate services or products.
Heart your technique across the (present) state of social media
The neatest modifications to any social technique are pushed by actual viewers insights, not random stakeholder requests. Whether or not you’re debating a shift to a brand new platform or constructing out your content material plans for the months forward, let these Pulse Survey findings function a helpful intestine examine.
In some methods, the state of social media proper now could be extra difficult than ever. However our information hints at a couple of methods manufacturers can begin to simplify: Discover alternatives to revive the 1:1 nature that so many customers miss in regards to the early days of social. Free your group from chasing questionable traits and as an alternative give attention to authentic content material sequence solely your model can personal. Most significantly, don’t underestimate the enterprise outcomes social can drive—whenever you make investments properly.
For extra insights round how entrepreneurs can adapt to the present state of social media, obtain The 2025 Sprout Social Index™.
