Well, it happened again – the election had a massive impact on social media. While there’s been a steady downturn in users on the social media platform X since it was purchased by Elon Musk, the last few weeks have seen the largest exodus of users to new platforms. According to a poll by PRNEWS, 37% of brands have deleted their X account, and another 39% of brands have started using other, newer social media options.
As a heads-up before we go deeper – image.works does not currently offer posting services for the platforms I’m about to discuss; instead, we focus on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. However, we know how important it is to stay on top of trends and want to share what has potential in 2025. So, what are we keeping our eyes on?
1. Threads
While Threads is not a new social media platform, it is still considered by many to be the successor to X. And as X is seeing users leave in large numbers, Threads is where most brands are headed. It’s owned and operated by Meta, the parent company to Facebook and Instagram, which made it a safe and trustworthy fallback for brands who are leaving X.
2. BlueSky
Dreamed up by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, BlueSky is a hot topic in the social media sphere. BlueSky was invite-only until February 2024 and has had massive success since opening its doors to the public. In the week immediately following the election, Bluesky gained over one million new users and skyrocketed to be the top social media platform on both the App Store and Google Play. Functionally, it acts a lot like Twitter did in its early days. Bluesky also allows you to personalize your page more if you host your own site, with a focus on “decentralization.”
3. Lemon8
While not talked about nearly as much as the first two, Lemon8 has seen steady search growth since it was announced in 2023. This “lifestyle community app” was created by ByteDance (the creators of TikTok) and is, in turn, powered by TikTok. Think of Lemon8 more as a competitor to Instagram and Pinterest than to X. It may not be taking off at the same levels as the X replacements have, but if we’ve learned anything from TikTok, it’s that ByteDance knows how to find social media success.
4. Substack.
If you spend enough time online, you probably know about Substack. However, you may not think of it as a social media platform. With a discover feed and the ability to sort by interests, Substack turns newsletters into easily consumable content that has a social media vibe. That’s right, Substack – a newsletter platform – has all the sought after aspects of social media while still having a more standard marketing feel to it.
2025 is a new year, which means it’s a great time to think about new social media strategies. If you’re looking for ways to create a successful social media plan for next year, check out our blog “Planning for a Successful New Year of Social Media.”