5 Insights From GWI’s 2022 Social Media Report

2022 has already been a busy year for social insights. In our recent webinar, we explored Hootsuite’s update on the state of social, Twitter’s #RealTalk report, and now it’s the turn of GWI.

GWI’s annual Social Media Trends Report 2022 is possibly the most comprehensive and up-to-date look at how social is evolving. It’s well worth a read, but in case you don’t get a chance, our Head of Social Media, Tom Grocott, has pulled out the top five takeout’s:

1. TikTok continues to grow, but despite its youthful reputation, engagement has grown the most among Gen X and baby boomers.

The app of the moment isn’t showing any signs of slowing down just yet. With many older adults seeing themselves as adventurous, creative and ambitious, TikTok is the perfect place to find inspiration and connect.

2. Short-form video is most popular, but long-form actually lands well with Gen Z

Short-form content still reigns, but that’s not to say that long-form has no place on social. In fact, 93% of Gen Z social media users watched long videos (over 20 mins) in the last month.

3. Baby boomers now have an average of 4.6 social media accounts.

Whilst social media has traditionally been synonymous with younger generations, baby boomers are spreading their social wings and engaging with more platforms.

4. Stories continue to grow in popularity with 61% of users viewing or creating a story on Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook monthly.

As new features such as Instagram’s ‘Add Yours’ sticker continue to be added, more and more users are turning to Stories to share, connect and engage.

5. AR filter usage has actually dropped as users look for brands to only use it to enhance the shopping experience, not to augment promotional content.

Brands such as L’Oréal and Mac are already offering virtual product testing and it’s expected that more will follow suit as users look to augmented reality to make their shopping experience easier.

You can download the full GWI report here.

If you’d like to understand how these trends and broader social insight can help your brand, get in touch.