As the end of 2022 is in sight, and with the big day fast approaching, we wanted to take a little look back on some of the changes we’ve seen throughout the year.

It’s been a busy year for sure – both in life generally and in the social media world. So, here’s a little recap – 

– Elon Musk spent a staggering $44 billion buying Twitter, adding to his already extensive portfolio of businesses

– Meta announced new parental control and supervision elements for Instagram with an aim to oversee children using its social media apps

– Facebook grew to an eye-watering 2.96 billion users worldwide

– TikTok has officially been named the World’s most valuable start-up

– Jeff Bezos remains on top as the richest person with a profile on LinkedIn

So what does 2023 hold? Here are just some of the predictions that those in the know are talking about –

1. TikTok will become the lead social media platform

The platform doesn’t deny that they want to be become the number one social network. Talks of partnerships with Linktree, Shopify and Woocommerce, as well as talk of a podcast app, it would seem they are on a quest to become a ’super app’. We’re withholding judgement here at Red Alert Social on this one…!

2. There’s new app in town; BeReal

BeReal is a photo sharing app that prompts users to post one unfiltered unedited photo per day to a select group of friends….It’s the top social networking app on the App Store and has been installed 29.5 million times.

3. Reels will still be around

Industry leaders still believe Instagram is the reigning platform for brand, with 1.5 billion daily active users. In Q3 2022, reels grew by 220 million users and 62% of users say they still use the platform to research brand and products.

4. Say goodbye to Clubhouse!

Once hailed as the next big thing, Clubhouse is now competing against a wave of copycat audio based platforms. Research shows Twitter Spaces has been more successful as it is an established brand used by businesses.

5. LinkedIn will continue to be about more than jobs

If you’re a LinkedIn user, you may have noticed your feed has become a little less professional and a bit more personal. And it would seem the algorithm is starting to favour content that entice people to stay on the platform for longer.

6. Gen Z will redefine user-generated content

UGC is authentic social proof and great for brands that care about increasing awareness and deepening relationships with their customers. Gen Z are seeing UGC in a different way; where posts are produced by freelance marketers or micro influencers for businesses, i.e. brands pay UGC creators to price content that looks like organic UGC.

7. Social SEO will replace hashtags

Globally people of every age group use social media to research brands. Further research has shown that using keyword-optimised captions instead of hashtags increased reach by 30% and doubled engagement.

And there will be more change coming! But that’s what we’re here for. We will keep you updated as and when change happens, so that you and your business can be at the forefront of change.