Resolutions have been made, gym memberships have skyrocketed, and new digital media trends are flowing into this new year. Specifically, social media is going to see some heavy changes throughout the next few months. Let’s take a moment to gossip about these scandalous updates below.

If you didn’t know, 81% of buying decisions a customer makes are influenced by social media posts and over 70% of users say social media referrals make them more likely to make a purchase. For these reasons, we should expect our favorite platforms to learn and evolve each and every year. This year, we are going to see quite a few changes on our social media platforms. Some you’ve heard of, some you’ve been expecting, and some you didn’t even know were possible. Because of the weight social media holds, we need to understand how changes will affect both the user and the specific platform. Let’s dive in:

• An Emphasis on Mental Health | One of the biggest trends we’ve noticed coming in the world of social is the stand platforms, such as Instagram, are taking on mental health. In an earlier post, we talked about Instagram slowly killing the “like” button across accounts, but we didn’t necessarily dive into the reasoning behind the decision. Instagram has stated they want to ease the pressure users feel before they post. We agree that the constant questions like, “Is this photo going to match my grid?” and “Will I get enough likes if I post this?” can be debilitating, and we’re happy to see the company working to help ease this stress in their own way.
• You’re Going to Shop More | Well, at least, it’s going to be much easier for you to make those in-app purchases without having to leave Facebook or Instagram. You see the product, you buy the product, you continue on your merry little scroll. We don’t think anyone is unhappy about this new feature.
• Brand’s Will Have to Earn Trust | Listen, we follow the brands we love and would purchase from again on social media. We follow brands that offer engaging content. We follow brands so we can tell them how we really feel, and now brands are going to feel even more pressure to gain users’ trust. How do they do this? Through connection. Through responsiveness. This year, brands will have to really consider one-on-one connections and conversations with their customers, whether through direct messaging or by responding to users in their comment sections. Being open and transparent will also help earn trust from users who are looking to follow companies that have the same values as themselves.