The 2024 state of social media

+ The gingerbread plushie Gen Z is going feral over, climate change paint, 'Fartcoin' to the moon, Alex Cooper unveils new college ambassadors, and Kamala Harris’ digital chief speaks out

The 2024 social media landscape was a battlefield. TikTok solidified its dominance by becoming Gen Z’s go-to search engine, Instagram thrived as the ultimate discovery platform for shopping and entertainment. YouTube bucked the short-form video craze by doubling down on long-form content, proving there’s still space for deep storytelling in an era of shrinking attention spans.

On the other hand, X faced challenges related to user trust and ad revenue, while Meta's Threads, despite initial excitement, faced difficulties in maintaining user engagement and navigating content moderation decisions during an election year.

Sprout Social recently released their 2024 Social Content Strategy Report, which goes deep into the platforms and trends defining the social landscape and provides insights into where things are going in the year ahead, especially for brands. I partnered with them to dig into the report and pull out some takeaways.

The biggest learning for me, is that we've officially entered the age where social media is more about entertainment and education than one-to-one personal connections. Yes, some people are still meeting and making friends through social media, but most of what consumers are looking for, especially from brands or media companies, is to be entertained.

66% of social users find “edutainment” (content that educates and entertains) to be the most engaging of all brand content. Even more so than memes, serialized content, or skits, Sprout Social found.

When it comes to platforms, Instagram dominates. 84% of social users have an Instagram profile (the most of all of the networks) and 69% of social media users say they see the most engaging brand content on Instagram, while 44% wish brands used Instagram even more often, the highest of any platform.

YouTube is also a crucial platform that will continue to grow in relevance in 2025, especially following the imminent TikTok ban.

More than three-quarters (78%) of all social users have a YouTube profile, and that number is even higher among Gen Z and Millennials. The platform's long videos continue to appeal, even when it comes to brand posts. Over 50% of YouTube users prefer brand content longer than 60 seconds, making it a bit of an outlier in a landscape dominated bite-sized media. This preference underscores YouTube’s role as a destination for deep dives, whether it’s tutorials, storytelling, or educational content.

Meanwhile, TikTok still dominates as a cultural engine and product discovery hub. With 68% of social users (rising to 86% among Gen Z) maintaining profiles, TikTok has become more than just a social network, it’s a search engine, a news source, and a marketplace.

Nearly 54% of TikTok users interact with brand content daily, mostly via short-form videos. The platform’s ability to turn even technical or niche topics into relatable, shareable content is best exemplified by brands like Cisco, which use humor and creativity to demystify their products. For brands, the lesson is clear: TikTok rewards relatability and boldness.

Pinterest is an app that we don’t hear about often, it’s usually overlooked, but this report showed that it still offers a unique value proposition. With 43% of social media users maintaining a profile there, Pinterest offers a halo effect for brands that set up shop on there.

Even brands like NASA have found a way to succeed on the platform through DIY and craft-oriented content (NASA explains how to bake cookies that look like moon phases and create rockets made out of paper). This content resonates deeply with the platform’s audience, proving that even highly technical brands can adapt to the softer, more inspiration-driven vibe of Pinterest.

Finally, X remains a vital network for real-time updates and interactions, particularly for men and older users. Despite its tumultuous ownership transition, 48% of social users maintain profiles on X, and text posts continue to dominate engagement on there. Brands like Aldi UK have succeeded on X by blending humor and cultural commentary into their content.

Looking to 2025, it's clear that no matter what platform, users want to be entertained and educated. There is a demand for quality (especially more longform content) over quantity, and a growing importance on authenticity.

I think this next year on social will be one where people seek to form deeper, more meaningful connections across an increasingly fragmented social landscape. I think the short form boom is fading, and live streaming and richer forms of interactive content are ascendent.

People are also recognizing that you don't have to be everywhere at once. While it's crucial to diversify and not rely solely on one platform, there are officially too many platforms to keep up with all at once. As Sprout Social notes in the conclusion of their report, to succeed on social in 2025, you don’t have to do everything, everywhere all at once. Just show up in the places that matter, and focus on those deeper, more meaningful connections.

How a wonky little gingerbread man became the internet’s holiday icon

Gen Z internet users are feral right now for this little a gingerbread man Beanie Baby named Cookie with giant, slightly melancholy eyes, a red button nose, and a wonky smile.

Cookie, a plushie created by Ty Inc., exploded into the holiday zeitgeist after going viral on X. On December 13th a Twitter user named Devin posted themself holding Cookie with the caption, “Saw this guy and said Ew ew ew ew ew ew ugly and then felt so bad i cried and bought him.” The tweet amassed nearly 27 million views and hundreds of thousands of likes and turned the little doll into a viral sensation.

Now, people all over are scrambling to buy the toy. The keyring-sized version of Cookie, which costs just $3.99, sold out almost instantly on Ty’s website, forcing fans to hunt for it in CVS stores and bundle deals. The slightly larger $5.99 version, adorably named Nutmeg, has also become a hot commodity. People are posting their Cookie plushies doing Christmas activities and collecting all versions.

Cookie’s popularity has also led people to look at other characters in Ty’s line, which they also feel protective of. “Now i feel bad for all the other little babies that aren’t getting the popularity cookie is getting. there’s no winning here,” one user posted.

What I’m reading

What happens when the internet disappears?

Huge swaths of the web are vanishing. What does that do to our culture? - The Verge

YouTube is the last bastion of unbiased journalism in India

As Narendra Modi's government clamps down on the free press, top journalists are going solo to report unbiased news. - Rest of World

Friends Like These

When Brian Jordan Alvarez made it big with English Teacher, he brought his friends with him, like they’d always dreamed. Except one. - New York Magazine

Don’t Call It a Bachelor Pad. TikTok Says It’s a ‘Boy Apartment.’

Men with meticulously curated homes are going viral on TikTok, changing the way people think about male living habits. - NY Times

More fun stuff

MrBeast has rented out all three Egyptian pyramids for 100 hours for an upcoming video.

The Supreme Court says it will hear TikTok's challenge to a nationwide ban in January. Arguments will be on January 10th, just ten days before the ban is set to take effect.

Marv from Home Alone lives on a farm and is a sculptor.

Alex Cooper has unveiled her first class of 40 college students who are part of her “Unwell” podcast network’s new college ambassador program. Here’s what these college girls will be producing:

Fartcoin, a meme coin, has surpassed a $900 million market cap.

Chef Flynn McGarry (formerly of Gem) is opening a new restaurant in NYC next fall.

Khloé Kardashian is launching a video podcast on X in January. The podcast, Khloé in Wonder Land, will include weekly conversations with guests including Scott Disick, Jay Shetty, and others.

Point and shoot cameras are so hot right now.

Kamala Harris’ digital chief talks about Democrats “losing hold of culture.”

NYT is hiring a new host for The Daily podcast for $225k.

Rihanna had her boob signed by Mariah Carey at her concert last night.

Home Depot is selling a white colored paint called “climate change.”

The last time Sony was worth this much on the stock market, Bill Clinton was president and the PlayStation 2 was about to debut on American store shelves.

19th-century Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky is currently going viral on BookTok.

Cafe Gitane is the new (old) downtown NYC hotspot.

This NYT French onion soup recipe simply cannot be beat.

A new lawsuit reveals how colleges really talk about rich applicants: “Sure hope the wealthy raise a few more smart kids!” wrote one college enrollment officer.

Disney is facing backlash after cutting a transgender storyline from Pixar's upcoming series "Win or Lose."

The top 7 creator x brand partnerships that made a splash in 2024.

Nick Jonas is facing backlash after coming out in support of Elon Musk on X.

A COVID relief program meant to save struggling arts venues became a windfall for wealthy musicians. They spent millions in taxpayer money on luxury hotels, private jets, parties & million-dollar bonuses to themselves. (Chris Brown spent $80,000 on his 33rd birthday party, including nude models $2,100, an LED dance floor $3,650, and bottle service)

OnlyFans models are using AI chatbots to talk dirty for them.

Social media brand guru

Rachel Karten

rounded up her favorite social campaigns of the year in a Twitter thread.

Timothée Chalamet recreates his viral Soulja Boy dance video with Brittany Broski.

A thread of the funniest deleted celebrity tweets of all time.

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