Well 2020 was an eventful year that challenged many businesses. Find out more about what’s likely to happen with social media in 2021.

Facebook despite issues raised on its role in politics and criticism of its management of hate speech and harassment online the platform grows from strength to strength and 2021 is unlikely to be any different.

E-commerce

We’ve already seen the first stages of Facebook’s next big revenue push, with the introduction of Shops on Facebook and Instagram.

That will give every business the chance to quickly build their own online storefront, with helpful, familiar presentation options and streamlined payment tools.

Expect to see further development of Facebook Pay as The Social Network looks to simplify its one-click purchasing options, and new advertising opportunities that highlight products for purchase within posts.

If Facebook can get it right, this could be a major shift – which is why looking further into Facebook Shops should be a key priority for retail providers.

Messaging Merger

Facebook is still working on the merger of its messaging apps – Messenger, Instagram Direct and WhatsApp.

That means that every new function introduced in any one of these apps will eventually be available in the other two – this enables new eCommerce opportunities, and more ways to run cross-platform ad campaigns.

In the longer term, this will make it very easy for business to expand their campaigns across all Facebook platforms, broadening their audience potential in ways that hadn’t previously considered.

Regulators in several nations have voiced their opposition to Facebook’s messaging integration plan.

Algorithm Shifts

One of the big questions for Facebook will be how it addresses concerns about its notorious feed algorithm, and whether it does anything to address concerns that it’s exacerbated the rise of dangerous hate speech.

Under a Biden-lead US Government, it may have to take even more action, and further restrict misinformation and hate speech in order to avoid increased pressure, and penalties, imposed by Government and regulatory groups.

That could see engagement on Facebook reduce – but maybe, if it can offset that with an increase eCommerce activity.

AR Glasses

AR (Augmented Reality) smart glasses are wearable computer-capable glasses that add extra information, ideally 3D images and information such as animations and videos, to the user’s real-world scenes by overlaying the computer-generated or digital information on the user’s real-world.

In September, Facebook announced that its wearable AR glasses would likely be available in 2021, you can expect to see the glasses hitting retail stores in the second half of the year.

With Apple also working on its own AR glasses, which are set for release around the same time AR is set to become a key battleground in the tech sector

VR (Virtual Reality)

Facebook’s Oculus virtual reality headsets have seen a major sales boost in 2020. With all of our regular entertainment options shut down, many have been seeking new ways to keep ourselves occupied, and VR has fit the bill for those who can afford to take the leap.

As Facebook adds more VR users, it also opens up new avenues for advertising and promotion and leads more consumers into the next stage of digital connection, meeting up within fully immersive environments online.

VR also has applications beyond entertainment, with many businesses also finding new ways to conduct key operations within the simulated space.

It’s still difficult to say where Twitter will look to grow in future. Because, Twitter is largely unchanged, with no major innovation or updates that have altered how people use the app.

Sure, it made tweets longer back in 2018, and it’s tried out live-streaming and Moments and audio tweets, among various other options. But none of them have really caught on, and Twitter, for the most part, remains what it was at its beginning – a real-time stream of short, sharp updates, great for staying up with the latest info. Not so good for much else.

Fleets Updates

Twitter’s own version of Stories – ‘Fleets’ – is now available to all users, and over the next year, you can expect Twitter to roll out new updates for the option as it looks to tap into the rising popularity of the format.

Fleets will stick around, and some people will use it, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to become a major element of the Twitter experience.

Audio Spaces

Twitter’s also working on Audio Spaces, which will be a Clubhouse-like, audio meet-up feature, giving users another way to interact.

Which, like audio tweets, will be interesting for a bit, but again, it’s unlikely to become a transformative feature in the app.

Topic Focus

Twitter’s also been looking to expand its potential for engagement by providing users with more recommendations of Topics to follow in their feeds, as opposed to profiles.

In 2021, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Twitter take this a step further and add Topic spaces, where it will collect relevant tweets on a topic, curated by Twitter’s team, into a dedicated page or section in the app.

Verification Categories

Last week, Twitter explained that it’s working on new categories of verification, beyond just the basic blue tick. That could see new types of verified accounts, which could include specific indicators based on what each represents.

Bot Crackdown

Bots remain a major problem on Twitter, with various political trends attributed to bot ‘armies’ that are utilized to manipulate engagement and sway opinion. Twitter may add something in with the verification process to highlight bot accounts, but how this is done is a difficult one.

Instagram and the integration of new eCommerce tools looks set to skyrocket Facebook’s earnings potential.

In-stream shopping

E-Commerce is obviously the big focus for Instagram, with a new Shop tab and dedicated features to facilitating more immediate purchases from users.

Instagram will look to continue the development of its shopping – expect Instagram to add advanced one-click purchasing, video tags for products, providing more ways for businesses and creators to promote product sales.

Instagram is already where many people go to discover new products and brands, and its advanced shopping options could open up a whole range of new possibilities.

Variable home feed

Expect Instagram to try out a new approach to user home feeds in 2021, with some users set to open to a Stories feed.

That would mean that the main Instagram feed would lose focus and become a secondary element. This may not change for everyone and there could be the option for individuals to choose their preferred layout.

For example, if you view Stories a lot, Instagram might switch you to a Stories-first home feed, with the option to go back to the regular post feed if you want. Some users might open to a Reels feed instead, some to the Shop tab. Rather than force all users into a new feed, Instagram could look to provide options, which may help boost engagement within each element.

Reels 

Will Reels stick around or catch on with more users?

While Instagram will also look to further boost Reels through exclusive influencer deals and new features Reels will remain a competitive concern.

It seems unlikely that Reels will become a major consideration, but ‘good enough’ is likely all Instagram needs to justify its investment in the option.

LinkedIn surpassed 700 million members in 2020, and has continued to see ‘record levels of engagement’, which only looks set to increase in the wake of the pandemic. LinkedIn is in a strong position, as the key platform for professionals, and it’ll look to capitalize on this with its 2021 releases.

Live events

Virtual events become a key focus in 2020, and LinkedIn shifted to cater to this by rolling out its own Events tools, and integrating its live-stream functionality with the same.

Events make sense on LinkedIn, and live video is the most engaging content type on the platform. The expansion of its tools on this front seems logical – and if it can boost its promotion capacity, you can expect to see more businesses looking to incorporate their events and functions into the LinkedIn experience.

Dedicated video section

As with all social platforms, video is the most engaging content type on LinkedIn, with LinkedIn users around 20x more likely to share a video on the platform than any other type of post. Given this, it makes sense for LinkedIn to capitalize on that with a dedicated video section within its app, which will put more focus on professional video content, by sector, and provide more opportunity for creators on LinkedIn to build brand awareness and presence.

New Insights

LinkedIn has the largest professional and career database in history, this is a major strength for the platform, and in 2021, you can expect LinkedIn to further refine its data-matching to provide more insight to help guide users to their ideal career path and progression.

LinkedIn’s already taken a recent step in this direction with its Career Explorer tool, which highlights potential career paths based on the skills you have.

This will show you how to advance your career, based on real-world insights, with links to Learning courses that can take you to the next level.

Live-streaming in LinkedIn Stories

A with Instagram, and in line with the broader focus on video content, we can expect LinkedIn to add live-streaming into its Stories tool.

Will that make a big difference? Probably not, but the capacity to share live videos from events, at the top of follower feeds, could be a significant update for many.

Snapchat has continued to establish its own niche in 2020, especially with respect to its ongoing appeal among younger audiences.

New approach to entertainment

One of Snapchat’s key areas of strength has been the steady growth of its Snap Originals programming, short, vertically aligned TV style shows that hold appeal to younger viewers and their evolving consumption habits.

Given this, expect to see Snap put more focus on Snap Originals in 2021 – and expect to see more major publishers and studios pay more attention, and look to align with the format, as they seek new ways to stay connected to younger audiences.

That could see some major announcements for Snap Originals, with big-name celebrities coming on board. And that will bring even more viewers to Snap, expanding its advertising and exposure opportunities.

eCommerce focus

As Instagram and Facebook look to incorporate more eCommerce tools, expect Snapchat to also align with this shift, and look to provide its creators with more opportunity to sell products direct in-stream.

Snapchat has been working on various eCommerce options for some time, including its integration with Amazon, but as in-feed shopping becomes more habitual, it makes sense for Snap to also incorporate similar tools, in order to maximize its own opportunities.

Advancing AR

As noted, AR remains key to maximizing Snapchat’s growth, and as such, you can expect to see Snap adding in more AR functionality and tools, as it looks to take its tools to the next stage.

Snapchat’s already started rolling out the capacity to ‘scan’ barcodes and labels in order to provide more contextual information through its camera, and it’ll look to keep adding to its database of scannable items, and connecting those scans to advanced AR tools, including promotions, offers, and more.

In short the world of social media as always will continue to evolve and grow and there’s no doubt it will continue to be a great place to promote and market your business.