4 Social Media Predictions for 2026 by Lady Socialdown

Dearest Gentle Reader,

Another 2026 prediction list? Yes. But I must be honest… Parts of this list are hopes and dreams based on data, vibes and my gut.

So let’s get started with this: Social Media made me feel like shit this year.

My screen time was too much [as it always is] but in 2025, I felt like most of the 2,000+ hours I doomscrolled were truly “regrettable minutes.” In an attention economy, I found myself mindlessly riding the emotional roller coaster of an algorithm trying to get a rise out of me. They won. I…regretted.

Our feeds aren’t feeding us.

So what’s next in 2026? I hope some good stuff.

Here’s Lady Socialdown’s 2026 Social Media Predictions (and tips):

Our feeds used to be filled with our friends, family and favorite creators’ content. Now it’s riddled with ads and brands trying to get an engagement and a dollar. Eyeballs are getting fatigued.

In Japan, engagement rates are very low. In general, the regional teams I worked with in Japan said that the users prefer to keep communications private (they rather DM then publicly comment) or not even “like” at all.

I bet this will happen in the US next year too. We’re already seeing it with a rise in Discord users, DM activity and going “chronically offline.” We’re all exhausted and feeds are so noisy.

With that, Social Media will become more and more fractional. There’s simply more places to hang out on the internet. As a brand (and a person), there is no need to be on every platform.

There’s no way to “keep up” and consumers will be deleting their apps completely, while engaging with the ones that they find most beneficial for them personally.

I promise you’ll find more gold by ideating around fun ideas, actioning on those ideas, and iterating off of them.

Now that algorithms prioritize “non-followers” over actual followers, this is not great news for the scrollers but a nice place for brands to be. So what are you (as the brand) doing with that real estate? How will you stop the scroll?

Think of your brand as a magazine. Would you fart out articles on every page? What kind of audience are you building with fart-y content? Or should you curate your vision to an audience to actually attempt to make a connection?

If you’re taking space on their feed, it doesn’t need to be perfect.

When you post AI content, this is what you’re serving the audience:

Social Media audiences are smart. They can sniff a nasty patty a mile away. AI content is slop. And it’s sloppy. This is also how I feel about rage bait marketing and brainrot content.

You know what isn’t cheap? An audience’s attention. And good taste.

Storytelling = emotional connection = memorable. Good storytelling is not an overnight solution to every metric, but good storytelling compounds over time to real impact.

When a story has a strong POV, it attracts an audience that actually connects to it. We all know that “relatable” content does well, and that’s because it comes with a very strong POV. Back when I led Crocs’ organic social, the content that proclaimed “Crocs are ugly” performed very well consistently (with both lovers and haters.)

Recently, I shared a video about my struggle of being a mixed kid while not looking mixed at all. It was my best performing piece of content ever, with over 3M views. I had thousands of comments and DMs saying they related in their own unique way. It’s the most followers I’ve ever gained from a post.

A story I found so personal, resonated with tens of thousands of people. How cool. 💚

The truth is: You can’t be liked by everyone. And when you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one.

2026 will be the year of AI content VS human made creativity. To me there is no competition.

I know I’m not alone in wanting to see more insanely human made things where it’s undoubtedly crafted by real people and real artists.

Best example from 2025? Gap’s Katseye denim campaign. The cinematography, the choreo, music selection, the strategy and how it all flowed together sent a big message: “We put artistry, time and money behind this.” And it worked.

(I also assume this was a multi-year project in the making.)

Even tech companies are making insanely human content. Ever heard of AppleTV? They made their logo video using no CGI, no AI. It was all practical.

It took time, money and creative humans.

Take an improv class. Read a comedy book. Learn to level up your craft. Especially the aim is to be funny.

Look, if there’s a trending moment: I won’t tell you NOT to hop on it.

However, I’m gonna hold your hand when I say this: Some of y’all aren’t making your version of the trend interesting. (plz don’t shoot the messenger)

In improv comedy, there’s “yes anding,” “finding the game” and “A-to-C” which I use every day working in social media. Just learning those 3 philosophies will up-level how you think about interpreting a trend to really make it sharp and stand out. These philosophies are a Substack article for another day soooo “yes and” me and sub ⬇️

If you can’t commit to a local improv class or comedy writing workshop, try reading some comedy books. I always recc the UCB handbook to start. And at least, go to some improv and comedy shows. Then ask yourself why you LOL’d and note it down.

Plan, shoot and incorporate BTS content into the content strategy and production schedules to prove how human the content is. Sometimes the BTS content of dance videos seem to perform better than the final post itself jusssssayingggg

And even if it doesn’t perform well, the people respects receipts.

Most Influencer strategy is: Creator got high reach and high engagement. Pay money to influencer to say talking points. Sales will happen.

And sometimes that’ll work. But come on, can’t we do better?

Not all “influencers” are the same, and luckily, there’s a creator for almost anything. But what I’m seeing is the same “hot” influencers being so booked that it feels like the Twilight Zone when they’re saying another talking point for another brand.

At the macro level, audiences understand that influencers get paid sometimes 6-figures to sell a product. On the micro level? Audience sentiment is a lot more supportive for the creator. And you may have better luck connecting with 500 new customers, than being just seen by 2 million never-to-be-customers.

The audience of a smaller creator might actually believe what talking point the influencer is saying. You’ll perhaps see more enthusiasm overall. From the creator, and from the audience ala “SHE BOOKED!” Now will you hit your conversion goals? That’s for you to find out. But I do know your brand just got actual attention from a new audience.

What could help you reach your Influencer goals?

Collaboration is a two-way street. Negotiations should go beyond just the rate negotiations. Most sponsorships I’ve gotten, barely even include a kick off call. Often, it’s a 100+ email thread with replies varying from 1 hour to 2 week waiting periods.

This TikTok explains brand collabs to painful accuracy:

The best sponsorships will come with more resources: Time, thought, negotiation and budget. Quality over quantity.

After I left Crocs, the SWAMP team (lead by creative, strategic forces and my personal friends: Sierra Thomas and Gabi Glidewell, with Digitas) worked with Anthony Po to do a stunt marketing campaign with custom Crocs on NYC statues. It was an open brief that was collaborative. And it was awesome.

Next year on my vision board: I’m manifesting a collaborative video series with a major brand. I have so many ideas. And I have a really really fun idea for the fall that’ll get Booktok talking. Hit me up, yall.

A week ago, Youtube announced that the Oscars will be broadcast for free on Youtube. Hollywood’s biggest night… on Youtube?!

This. Is. Huge.

New research that says, Youtube is the most popular platform amongst adults in the US.

This. Is. Huge.

Musicians, movie stars and directors are now appearing in popular formats and creator’s content as a part of their media press tour.

This. Is. Huge.

I’d love to see Social Media teams starting with 3-4 full time employees. If you have a B behind your brand’s worth? At least 6 full time employees with 2+ fully-dedicated production people.

It still boggles my mind that companies think that it’s a one-person job in 2025, let alone one that it’s supposed to be done ON THEIR PERSONAL PHONES!?

Leaders that expect the Social Media team to build brand equity, should put equity into the team making it happen. They are the ones that can easily cause a lot of success or damage with one post. The ones connected closest to the consumer. The more support, the more results. I’ll bet on it.

Creative and Production teams: I’m talking to you. This means give the same energy, support and time to the Social Media content as the “hero content.” In fact, I don’t think they should be 2 different things. The goal is to create high performing content, no?

Work TOGETHER with your Social Media teams to understand what optimizations and production support they need. Stay curious and ask questions. Use your skills and creativity to “yes and” their concepts so it’s a product of everyone’s talents.

The Social Media team is your true collaborator. They want to see all content win.

Stop fighting against “social-first” and treat it as actually FIRST. Start creating magic together. Ultimately, their success is your success and if you work with the Social team, the better chances your work goes “viral.” ANNNND you can add it to your portfolio! A WIN WIN!

No more “squeezing in” the social shots. (I think I’m the millionth Substack to mention the Dr. Suess’ Grinch 4 day shoot = 80 pieces of content.)

Hello, this is how it’s done people. You have the power.

Working in Social Media is an emotional journey. We’ve been constantly pushed to be the “billboard” of the brand, take risks, make it “viral” while also feeling like some conversations feel condescending and demanding.

But here’s the real talk: Social Media professionals are a unique breed.

I like to compare Social Media to cars.

Some people only know how to make the car look good aesthetically.

Some people only know how the engine works.

Some people only know how to drive the car.

Very few people know all of the above AND know how it all works together.

That’s what Social Media professionals are.

And in this case, the road the car is driving on - changes every turn you take. And we just keep driving. Trusting only on our adaptability, optimism and gut.

Social Media professionals are multi-faceted, creative and stubborn as hell. We are powerful. And we’re making it up as we go.

So instead of describing yourself as “the one who makes memes” or the “social media intern” - stand up tall, don’t minimize yourself, focus on personal PR where you deem necessary, stay endlessly curious and VERY IMPORTANT: Be nice to people.

What’s your favorite prediction for 2026? Any you’d like to add? What was your favorite tip? These questions always feel corny, but I am genuinely interested in what readers gravitated towards and allow me to get insight! 🫶

Til the next rant, I’ll see you on the internet.