Welcome to
Bat tenhall
Trends 2024

This year, the world of social media has been defined by change. While this has created brand opportunity, it also means the social media landscape is now more varied than ever – and knowing where to focus your efforts has never been harder.

Welcome to our 11th annual social media trends review. We’ve delved into Battenhall’s proprietary social data and brand benchmarking to put together the five standout trends that will help you plan for 2024.

This is our biggest ever review, and the first where we’ve published five individual reports. We hope you enjoy exploring our predictions for what lies ahead.

Drew Benvie | CEO & Founder

Key
findings

Young people are spending more time online than ever. Under-24s in the UK are predicted to spend 5hrs online per day* by 2024, and younger social media users are expected to be receiving 5000+
phone notifications** per day.

*Source: UKOM data
**Source: Techspot

Hate speech on social media is on the rise-
up 26%*
year to date - so keeping users safe on platforms should be a key priority for brands and marketers in 2024.

*Source: Twitter/X

AI will be near impossible to avoid in 2024’s social media landscape, and its ethics are already being tested and debated daily. Understanding the steps involved in
‍safely
using AI is a crucial precursor to harnessing it for good, and allowing it to augment human intelligence, creativity and skill.
‍

Channels are in flux right now. X (formerly known as Twitter) has lost 14%* of its global traffic in the year since Musk’s takeover – while new platform on the block, Threads, became the most downloaded app in the world** in Q3 2023. LinkedIn has also reported a 41% increase*** in volume of content between 2021 and 2023.

*Source: Similarweb 
**Source: data.ai
***Source: Financial Times

During 2023, global influencer marketing spend reached
‍34.1bn*
globally, as partnering with creators became more lucrative for brands than ever before.

*Source: Statista 

Trend 1
social media
and ai in 2024

If 2023 was the year that put generative AI on the map, 2024 will be the year when it becomes a household name – and social media will put it into the palms of our hands. We explore how to harness the power of this ever-evolving tech.

Read report

Trend 2
ever-changing
channels

This year we’ve seen new channels launching every month, and existing ones changing beyond recognition. We uncover where brands and marketers should be focusing their efforts in the year ahead – and why.

Read report

Trend 3
Safety and
purpose on social

The brilliance of social media as a connector and entertainer has never been greater, but a darker side has grown too – showing the potential of networks to divide and disinform. With looming regulation ahead, what does the future hold for safety on social – and how can brands prepare?

Read report

Trend 4
The creator
economy

With more than 200 million content creators in the world today, the power of influencer marketing has never been greater. What is the impact of this, and which challenges and opportunities lie ahead? We explore this, and what it all means for brands.

Read report

Trend 5
Entertainment-
first social

In an era of doom-scrolling and social media as search, the competition for attention has reached an all-time high – and brands are responding with entertainment. We explore the types of entertainment-first social, then share three steps to success.

Read report

With special thanks to:

List of names