消费者对社交媒体的需求

The 2025 Sprout Social IndexTMEdition XX Social media is the centerof everything It's the place where trends are born, newsstories break and cultural ties are formed. The question “What’s happening on social?” echoes across newsrooms,boardrooms, group chats and dinner tables around the world. Social mediaupended traditional media and became the definitive north star. People look to itfor guidance on everything from finding their new favorite trend or product toforming political opinions and joining social movements. What social marketers should stopand start in 2025 Social media users experience a brand’s content woven within a tapestry ofcontent from other brands, creators and influencers, news outlets, and familyand friends. Their attention is hard-won as networks reach max saturation—with new distractions, rabbit holes and niches around every swipe. Stop Social’s always-on culture can be a crushing weight as marketers desperatelyfight for relevance—jumping on trends haphazardly to appeal to theiraudience. Or it can be a creative tailwind, depending on your perspective andthe resources at your disposal. But do consumers even want brands toparticipate in online culture? Will that build lasting affinity and loyalty? Jumping on every trend Posting constantly, just for thesake of posting Publishing original, entertainingcontent and humanizing your brand In the 20th edition of The Sprout Social Index™, we surveyed over 4,000consumers, 900 social practitioners and 300 marketing leaders across theUS, UK, Canada and Australia. We also sat down with an experiencedcollective of social marketers to form the Index Council. These thoughtleaders weighed in on and interpreted the data we collected to help shapeour narrative. Combating misinformation Providing fast, personalizedcustomer care In this report, we uncover how consumers’ relationship to social media willchange in 2025, and what that means for brand content, customer care andsocial commerce. Keeping up with culture Online culture—the distinct language, behaviors and expectations built andmaintained by internet users—is a layered and evolving force. The socialmedia lexicon has morphed into a dialect all its own. Memes and viralmoments are generational touchstones. Brands must be culturally competent to understand their consumers andemerge at the top of their industry. Sources consumers use to keep up with trendsand cultural moments Fluency in online culture required Consumers definitively agree: social is how they keep up with trends and culturalmoments. Significantly more so than TV or streaming services, talking to friendsand family, and other digital media. This is true across generations—pointing to awide-scale cultural shift. The amount of time consumers spend on social is holding steady and growingin some pockets. Even though many consumers are already “chronically online,”30% plan to use social more in 2025, while 56% plan to maintain theircurrent usage. As social media continues to drive culture, consumers agree brands must betuned in. The good news: 94% of consumers affirm that most brands’ socialcontent already does a good job keeping up with online culture. 93% of consumers agree it’s important forbrands to keep up with online culture Networks consumers have a profile on Networks consumers turn to In pursuit of discovering trends and participating in cultural moments, consumersare present on all social media platforms. But they are most likely to haveFacebook, Instagram and YouTube profiles, and use these well-establishednetworks to keep up with the zeitgeist. If they could only use one social medianetwork, they would choose Facebook, followed closely by Instagram. This varies for Gen Z, who is most likely to have Instagram (89%), YouTube (84%)and TikTok (82%) profiles instead—a defining generational difference. When it comes to keeping up with trendsand cultural moments, 51% of consumersprefer Facebook and Instagram and 37%prefer YouTube and TikTok. Ask the Index Council The foundation of onlineculture is sharedunderstanding Use social listening toolsto zero-in on relevantinformation Prioritize which platformsyou invest in “There are so many platforms and ways thatbrands can show up online. It’s tempting tobelieve you have to be everywhere. Providewhat your current and prospective audiencemembers are looking for—be intentionalinstead of trying to be everything to everyone.Don’t chase shiny objects. It’s more importantto build community and trust on priorityplatforms.” “If they use social listening tools, socialmarketers don't always need to be onlinebecause they can just filter for the informationthat they need. Instead of having to doom-scroll for an hour, you get relevant informationdelivered to you.” “Online culture is ever-changing andconstantly evolving. It includes viral imagesand videos, celebrity meme-able momentsand emerging content formats, but is morethan the sum of its parts…It’s fueled by theconsumer