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Social media trends and their potential

In everyday digital life, things often go haywire. Especially in the area of ​​social media, it seems as if new platforms are springing up every day. It quickly becomes difficult to keep track of things and to determine on which social media platform you can reach your target group. In the following article we would like to take a look at the developments in social media in recent years - especially in Switzerland: What are the most used platforms? Which are the most popular? What are the latest social media trends and where do they lead in the long term? 

The portal data report publishes annual international and national figures on internet consumption and, among other things, on the use of different social media platforms. The numbers from January 2021 show the following interesting insights:

Social media trends and their potential

Is Facebook dead?

The numbers not only lead to remarkable, but above all clear conclusions. In Switzerland, 7.54 million people use social media; with a population density of 8.7 million (as of January 2023), that is over 80% of the Swiss population who can be reached via social media. It is also noticeable that 96.8% of them use different platforms on their smartphone. Once again proof that it is extremely important to produce content in such a way that it can be used responsively.

It is also particularly interesting to see which platforms are used by most people. First and foremost in Switzerland is the Facebook messaging service Whatsapp, which is used by 84% of Swiss people (16-64 years old). In times of Gen Z, the TikTok hype, and Instagram influencers, the social media veteran Facebook is repeatedly declared dead. But is that true? In fact, due to its long history, Facebook has also acquired and, above all, retained numerous users. According to the data portal, you can potentially reach 3.2 million people in Switzerland via Facebook, which is 42.1% of the Swiss population (aged 13 and over). 

Social media trends and their potential

So quite a lot for a medium that younger generations keep calling “out”. The “millennial platform” Instagram performs very similarly: there are 3.7 million people or 42.3% of the population (aged 13 and over) that can be reached. The video portal YouTube is particularly far ahead, namely in second place: 7.54 million Swiss* can be reached via the video platform. YouTube, which has belonged to Google since 2006, is now the second-largest search platform after Google. But that's not the only reason YouTube can be happy about the many active users, the content - the moving image - also makes a significant contribution. 

Between attention span and ephemerality: current trends

In fact, developments in social media marketing have shown that video and image content is increasingly replacing text and posts in the form of articles. This certainly plays a role in the success of YouTube. A special trend that goes beyond the usual video content is the so-called “ ephemeral content ”. Translated from the English “short-lived, fleeting”, this means content that disappears from the platform again after a certain period – usually 24 hours. These are Stories (better known as “Status” on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, or WhatsApp). After Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook also took over the function of posting stories, which are then only visible to followers for the following 24 hours and are also limited in length.

This aspect of ephemerality also partly explains the current success of the Chinese platform TikTok, previously musical.ly. The video platform, which thrives on short clips of a maximum of 60 seconds, is booming, especially among younger target groups, and is also often referred to as the Gen Z platform. Overall, however, it precisely reflects the aspect of ephemerality, which probably also reflects our ever-shortening attention span. The big question is how our consumer behavior in social networks will continue to develop. One can assume that with digital progress we will use more and more apps and digital solutions and that new social media platforms will constantly appear accordingly. But will this form of ephemeral content be able to assert itself or will that also be too tedious for us in the long term? Time will tell. 

Are you still watching or are you already listening?

Another trend is the movement toward auditory social media. For example, podcasts have been gaining in popularity for some time now, and now you can find a suitable channel for every topic. Streaming apps such as Spotify are also booming. Another brief trend in this space was the social media app Clubhouse. The audio app via an exclusive invitation you can enter different digital rooms and listen to conversations.

Similar to podcasts, the range is very wide: from tips to entertainment to comedy, almost everything is included. The young social media platform was already heavily criticized in the media. On the one hand due to a lack of data protection reasons, and on the other hand, due to legal issues and a lack of moderation. 

Nonetheless, the platform has caused a lot of uproar in a short space of time. Will auditory content be even more successful in the future, like (audio-)visual content? Time will tell. However, auditory media and social apps enable us to multitask in our hectic everyday life: You can listen to podcasts and conversations along the way – while driving, when falling asleep, or even at work. This is a major advantage over audiovisual apps, which always require the full attention of the user.

Conclusion

The world of social media thrives on ephemerality, not only in its content but also in its fast-moving change. It is all the more important to stay up to date to be the first to spot new trends and benefit from them. We help you to put your brand, your product, or your company in the best light on social media!