Some people think that social media is dead, but the truth is that it keeps getting better. People who have been using social media since its beginning almost 19 years ago have probably noticed that a lot has changed since 2016. This includes the popularity of apps like TikTok and Instagram's decision to stop using a chronological scroll. These changes have had a big effect on social media, which shows that it is still a lively and active place to connect with people.

Even though some people say social media is dying, it is always changing. People who have been using social media since its beginnings nearly 19 years ago have probably seen how much it has changed since 2016. This includes the rise of TikTok and Instagram's move away from the usual chronological scroll. Social media has changed a lot because of these changes, which shows that it is still an active and adaptable platform.

As we move into an age of consumption and exploration, it is important to stop paying attention to vanity metrics that are easy to change and hide. This change is happening because we are learning more about how social media works and users are becoming more aware of how they are being targeted. As a result, there is a growing preference for metrics that are hard to fake and offer the most value. So, there is more of an emphasis on putting real and meaningful engagement ahead of shallow metrics that don't really show how well social media strategies are working.

Engagement is becoming more important in modern community strategies than other metrics because there is more demand for real metrics. This is because shallow metrics like likes and traffic are easy to change and don't always show how engaged people really are. On the other hand, it is possible to make fake comments, but it is much harder to make them look real. This is also true for things like sharing, stitching, and duets, which are becoming more and more important in social strategies. So, in the modern age of community, there is a clear shift toward putting more weight on real engagement over all other metrics.

• First, there has been a move away from vanity metrics, which can be easily manipulated and do not always reflect genuine engagement. Instead, the focus is on more authentic engagement metrics such as comments, shares, and other forms of true interaction.
• Second, there has been a shift in algorithms that determine how content is displayed to users. This has been driven by a growing emphasis on transparency and authenticity, which has made it more difficult to manipulate metrics and therefore led to a focus on authentic engagement. Additionally, there has been a shift in the pace of social media, with a greater demand for instant gratification and shorter attention spans.
• Third, there has been a shift in content, with users demanding more visual and interactive content such as videos, stories, and live streams. This has led to an increase in the use of influencers and content creators to create content that resonates with their target audience.
• Finally, there has been a shift in access and engagement, with users expecting more personalized and meaningful interactions with brands and content creators. This has led to an increased emphasis on building communities and fostering a sense of belonging among users.

The move away from meaningless numbers

The fact that there are 372 million posts with the hashtag #likeforlikes on Instagram shows that it is common for people to trade likes with others who use the same hashtag. Basically, people who use the hashtag post their own content and like a number of other people's posts. As a result, both people get more likes on their posts, which could draw the attention of people who might be interested in what they're posting and lead to new followers and more interaction.

Let’s compare metrics then and now:

In the past few years, there has been a big shift toward putting more weight on metrics that can't be easily faked or manipulated, like those that require real human interaction. The opposite of this is metrics that can be made by bots or other tricks.

The reason for this change is that authenticity and openness are becoming more important on social media. As social media users learn more about how they can be tricked, they want to interact with brands and content creators in a more real and meaningful way. This has made people like metrics like comments, shares, and other forms of real engagement that require real human interaction more and more.

The changes to algorithms

It's important to understand how the algorithms of today's social platforms, which are very different from those of the past, work and how they change over time. During chronological scrolling and for a short time after, the algorithm gave most weight to the number of likes and comments on a post in the first few minutes after it was made. This was also affected by the time of day when your demographics were online and how much interaction your account had with other accounts at that time.

Today's algorithms, on the other hand, are much more complicated and smart, taking into account a wider range of factors to decide what content to show users. In addition to likes and comments, social media platforms now look at things like a user's interests, search history, past interactions with content, and how real the post is. This means that it's no longer enough to just post at certain times or use certain strategies to trick the algorithm.

It's important to know that the algorithms that social media platforms use to help people find each other are very complicated and not well understood. Before, algorithms mostly looked at things like likes and comments. Now, they look at a much wider range of things, like the user's interests, how they've interacted with content in the past, and how real the post is.

Because of this, people are focusing less on trying to trick the algorithm to get more attention and more on making high-quality content that resonates with their target audience. As a result of this change, vanity metrics have become less important because they don't always show how real engagement is or how valuable the content is.

It seems to be crucial to understand that the algorithms used to find people on social media today are very complicated and can be hard to figure out. We still don't know how these algorithms decide what content to show, to whom, and when. But the good news is that algorithms now help creators instead of hurting them.

As social media has become an important part of modern media, the people who made these algorithms have realized that it's not a good idea to try to discourage users by making it harder for them to be seen. Brands are willing to pay for visibility and impressions, but if the algorithms actively work against users, it discourages both brands and users, which hurts everyone's bottom line.

In the world we live in now, algorithms are made to help both creators and users. Even though brands can still pay for visibility and impressions, the algorithms are set up so that all creators have an equal chance of getting their content in front of their target audience.

Because of this change, creators now have a better chance of having their content seen by their target audience. This is because the algorithm gives all creators an equal chance of having their content seen by their target audience. Creators can build real engagement that leads to real results if they focus on making content that really speaks to their audience.

The change in social media algorithms has had a big effect on the jobs of people who manage social media and make content for it. No longer is it enough to just schedule posts and optimize hashtags; the focus has shifted to understanding what the target audience is interested in, how they like to consume content, and how they can be engaged in a more meaningful way.

As a result, the creative process has become more real, with a focus on serving the audience directly to build a sense of community. Because of this change, vanity metrics like likes and follows have become less important, while real engagement metrics like comments, shares, and other forms of real interaction have become more important.

The change in being honest and open

In the past few years, there have been big changes in how advertisers, audiences, and platforms work together. Around 2016, social media was going through some growing pains because TikTok changed the way people used social media by putting more emphasis on community.

Before this time, content was mostly chosen by editors with the goal of giving the audience a polished, curated image. But there were still a lot of problems to solve in terms of disclosure, openness, and ethics, especially when it came to brands using social media.

As the trend toward community-based content and engagement grew, advertisers and content creators had to adjust to new expectations about authenticity, transparency, and user privacy. This has made it more important to focus on real engagement and meaningful interactions with users instead of just relying on vanity metrics and other shallow measures of success.

Before the paradigm shift that started around 2016, there were no industry standards for letting people know when content was paid for and for telling the difference between ads and editorial content. This made both audiences and content creators confused and uncertain because it wasn't always clear if content was sponsored or paid for.

Because there weren't clear rules about transparency and disclosure, there was a lot of paid content that wasn't properly labeled or disclosed. This made people lose trust in the content and think it wasn't real. This lack of transparency also made it harder for brands and advertisers to connect with their target audience in a meaningful way, since users often doubted the authenticity of sponsored content.

In response to these problems, the industry has changed a lot in the past few years, putting more emphasis on being open, telling the truth, and being ethical.

In the early days of social media, users didn't know much about the paid content and sponsorships that were showing up in their feeds, and they didn't know who paid for them. Consumers didn't always know what affiliate marketing or brand partnerships were, and it wasn't always clear whether content was sponsored or paid for.

This lack of transparency caused the audience to lose trust and believe that the content wasn't real. This made it harder for brands and content creators to connect with their target audience in a meaningful way. This lack of clarity and authenticity was a big problem for the industry, and it took a long time to come up with standards that would make things more clear and accountable.

Enter #ad and sponsored posts.

The way brands and influencers used social media marketing changed a lot when sponsored content and hashtags like #ad were introduced. People had different thoughts about this change. Some said it was the beginning of the end for the influencer model.

The use of sponsored content and disclosure hashtags showed that social media marketing was putting more emphasis on being honest and open. This move was made because, in the early days of social media, there wasn't enough clarity and transparency around paid content and sponsorships. This made people lose trust in the content and think it wasn't real.

Some people may be worried about the future of the influencer model because of the use of sponsored content and disclosure hashtags, but this has also given brands and content creators new ways to connect with their target audience in meaningful ways. By putting authenticity and honesty first, brands and influencers can build trust with their audience, which is essential for long-term success on social media.

The shift toward more transparency and authenticity in social media marketing was a necessary response to the early days of social media, when users often didn't know that influencers were getting paid for their content. This lack of openness hurt the audience's trust and sense of authenticity, and many people stopped reading branded content that was little more than product placement.

With the introduction of sponsored content and disclosure hashtags, brands and influencers changed the way they used social media for marketing. They now put more emphasis on being honest and open. This change was made because users were asking for more transparency because they were becoming more aware of how commercial social media content was.

The way brands and content creators work together on social media is changing in the modern world. This trend is making it hard to tell the difference between natural content and content that may have been paid for in some way.

In the early days of social media, the shift toward more transparency and authenticity in social media marketing was necessary. Now, however, there is a move toward a closer relationship between brands and content creators. This trend is being driven by the demand for more personalized and interesting content. Brands are working with influencers and content creators to get closer to their target audience.

This change has made it hard to tell the difference between natural content and content that may have been paid for in some way. Even though this may seem like a bad trend, it has given brands and content creators new ways to make content that is more relevant and interesting to their audience.

The moved toward a more sustainable way of working with brands and creators in the social media landscape of today. This change is caused by a shift from focusing on the number of business relationships to focusing on the quality of those relationships.

In the past, many brands and content creators focused on short-term, transactional relationships that were meant to get quick results. The modern way of thinking about partnerships, on the other hand, is to focus on building long-term, stable relationships based on trust and mutual benefit.

By focusing on the substance of their business relationships, brands and creators can build stronger connections with their audience, which drives engagement and builds brand loyalty. This is like the old saying that you should teach someone how to fish instead of just giving them a fish to eat. Brands and creators can build long-lasting relationships that bring real value over time if they work together to make high-quality, interesting content that resonates with their audience.

The move toward a more trust-based way of building communities on social media sites today. Especially content creators are moving away from vanity metrics and putting more effort into building real relationships with their audiences.

To do this, creators are putting trust and authenticity ahead of how often and how many posts they make. By building strong relationships with their audiences, creators can establish themselves as trustworthy and reliable sources of information. This makes it easier to build brand loyalty and drive long-term value.

This method is also being used with the brands with which creators work. Creators no longer just want to promote products and services in a transactional way. Instead, they want to build long-term relationships with brands that share their values and philosophies. By teaming up with trusted brands, creators can make deeper connections with their audiences and keep them interested and loyal for a long time.

In short, the modern way of building communities is based on trust and being real. Content creators are putting an emphasis on building real relationships with their audiences and teaming up with brands that share their values in order to build relationships that will last.

How important it is for brands and content creators to have long-term partnerships in today's social media world. Instead of just making branded content to boost sales in the short term, the focus is on building real relationships with creators to build trust and encourage long-term engagement and loyalty.

By working with trusted creators, brands can tap into the communities that these creators have already built. This lets brands reach a larger audience with more powerful messages. Creators can also give useful information about what their audiences care about and how to make content that will resonate with them. This kind of partnership is more likely to last than a one-time partnership, and it can lead to more loyal customers and more sales over time.

Basically, the saying "If you give content to a brand, they'll sell for a day. If you teach a brand how to work with a creator, they will always sell "is a sign of how important it is to build long-term, stable relationships with content creators in order to get people interested in your brand and make them loyal to it.

The shift in pace

The economy of content in the modern world of social media. Some people find the speed at which the content ecosystem moves to be scary, but it also gives brands and creators a huge chance to connect with audiences in a more dynamic and interesting way than ever before.

In the past, brands and creators often could only post once a day on social media to keep a steady presence there. But the content economy has made it possible for them to post more than once a day, giving them a stronger and more interesting social media presence. This speed and kinetic energy of the content ecosystem is one of the best things about modern social strategies because it is forgiving and flexible in terms of the types of content that can be posted and how often it can be posted.

The content economy has also made it possible for brands and creators to try out new types of content and different formats and platforms. This makes for a more interesting and varied social media presence, which can make people more interested and loyal.

To realize that the current algorithm used by social media platforms is a mystery. No one really knows how it works or what makes it tick. Some people may feel uneasy about this lack of openness, but it's important to remember that this is on purpose.

Social media platforms have made it hard to understand and change their algorithms on purpose. This is to stop brands and creators from taking advantage of their audiences by gaming the system. This has made people focus more on making high-quality, interesting content that people care about instead of trying to trick the algorithm to get more views.

This change has been good for both brands and audiences because it has made social media more real and trustworthy. Now, brands focus more on making content that is meaningful and interesting to their target audience rather than just trying to manipulate their way to more visibility. In turn, audiences are more likely to interact with and trust brands whose social media presence is honest and open.

One of the best things about the way media works now is that you can test and change things faster than ever before. With the focus shifting from vanity metrics to real engagement, brands and creators can try out different types of content and engagement strategies without worrying about whether they posted at the right time of day or used the right hashtags.

This move toward a more real and honest social media landscape has given brands and creators a more forgiving and flexible place to work. Instead of trying to trick the algorithm or go viral, they can focus on making high-quality content that connects with their audience and makes them feel like part of a group.

Being able to test and change things more quickly also helps brands and creators learn more about their audience and make content that fits their needs and wants. By trying out different kinds of content and ways to get people to interact with it, they can learn what works best and make decisions based on data to improve their social media presence over time.

In the constantly changing world of social media, it is very important to be quick and flexible. Brands and creators need to be able to test, iterate, and change direction quickly. The good news is that the media ecosystem of today is much more forgiving than it was in the past, when brands and creators could only post once a day. Today, many best practices for social media suggest posting twice or three times a day and making it easy to reuse content across channels. This increased frequency requires less work and gives deeper insights and better results for social strategies, which is especially important in a world where trends change every day.

There are many different types of content, post sizes, tools, filters, and other factors to think about on Instagram, Meta, and other social media sites. When you think about all of these things, it can be hard to keep up a regular posting schedule. It used to be enough to post one static image per day, but now it's expected (if not required) to post a carousel of five or more images, write a story to go with the post, make a reel, design a cover for the reel, and use the content in different ways. Even though it means more work, posting more often can lead to more insightful, better-performing content with less work than previous versions of the strategy.

When we think about having to record three videos a day, it might seem like a lot of work, but in reality, it's less because there's no longer a need to make static assets to go along with video content. TikTok has made it easier to make videos than it is to make static images, which may seem like a contradiction.

The shift in content

We all know that at first, memes were only found in obscure places on the internet. But memes are used in more ways than they were in the past, and they are now an important part of social media strategies. In fact, memes have spread through media in a much wider way than many people may realize. They are now one of the most important parts of social media marketing.

Memes are now a big part of how people use social media and have spread through the media in ways that most people don't realize. They are a powerful tool because they only need to be made once and can then be made over and over again. TikTok has taken this approach to its core, which is based on virality, trends, and shared content, with open arms. In reality, a meme is any new video that goes viral and is copied by thousands or millions of people.

The focus of content creation on social media has shifted from coming up with completely new ideas to joining in on current content trends in a way that fits with a brand's voice and audience. Instead of trying to make something totally new, creators and brands on TikTok have to figure out how to interpret and use viral sounds or trends in a way that appeals to their own communities. With this method, content can be made quickly and easily while still being relevant and interesting to a brand's target audience.

The change in content strategy we see today makes it easier for creative teams to not have to come up with new ideas or concepts all the time. This lets them rely on the community to shape the content to fit their voice and interests. Every time a sound goes viral on TikTok, creators and brands have to figure out how to explain it to their audience, add something interesting to the trend, or change the trend to make it more appealing to their community. This takes a load off the creative teams and lets them focus on keeping up with what sounds are popular. Instead of putting effort into having a unique perspective or take on the sea of copies of the original video, content made for a specific audience doesn't directly compete with thousands of others because it's made for that audience. This creates a stronger sense of community and less competition.

The shift in access and engagement

Even though many brands and creators have teams that manage their social media, the level of accessibility in today's community-driven world is unmatched. Engagement is still a key way to measure how well a brand or creator is doing, and the amount of engagement they get from outside their account is a measure of how good their account is. In the past, social media was mostly about the individual. Now, the focus is on the community, which makes it easier for brands, creators, and their audiences to talk to each other. This move toward community-driven engagement has made the environment more open and welcoming, and it encourages feedback, input, and working together.

The trend toward two-way communication in contemporary social media, especially between creators/brands and their audiences. In contrast to prior incarnations of social media, the present ecosystem places a premium on community interaction and open communication. Although this can be displayed by commenting on pertinent posts or engaging with relevant media, the practice extends beyond mere external involvement. In reality, companies and creators are expected to actively listen and respond to their audiences. Social listening tools are becoming more widespread, providing for enhanced awareness of where conversations are taking place and more effective management of such conversations.

As social strategies evolve towards becoming community-driven, creators and brands find themselves with new responsibilities. Engaging in dialogues and responding to comments and messages is not a luxury, but rather a requirement for constructing and sustaining a healthy community. However, with this heightened level of connection, companies and creators must also navigate these encounters with tact and emotional maturity. Understanding when to engage, how to engage, and when to refrain from engaging is essential for maintaining a happy and healthy community.

Controlling a brand's narrative purely on its own platforms is no longer sufficient. The debate is occurring in real-time across numerous platforms, with a variety of persons and brands and without censorship. Navigating this new reality as a brand requires emotional intelligence and delicacy, but with a focus on community, it can be tremendously rewarding and result in increased engagement. Now, brands must engage in two-way interactions with their audiences and contribute to the larger cultural dialogue. Using social media listening technologies, marketers can keep track of where and when conversations are taking place and tailor their replies accordingly. The goal is to concentrate on uplifting and encouraging the community, as well as establishing genuine, meaningful relationships.

I'd say that private channels like those on Slack, Facebook, and Discord have given brands new ways to connect with their audiences that were not possible before. By keeping communities in these private channels, brands and creators can get insights and build connections with their audiences that can't be found anywhere else. CEOs, heads of community, and other top-level executives can now talk to people in their communities directly, which used to be unheard of in traditional media. This trend not only helps brands build stronger relationships with their audiences, but it also gives brands valuable information that can help them better understand their customers and serve them.

The continuing shift

The current state of communities on social media is influenced by many different things. Some examples are how quickly content is made and how barriers to entry are coming down. But this path is still a long way from being finished. As technology keeps getting better, the idea of platforms will become less clear, and it will be easier for users to connect with each other. This will give brands and creators even more chances to connect with their fans and build deep, long-lasting relationships with their communities.

More and more, it's hard to tell the difference between content and ads, attention and conversion, and the beginning and end of stories. This requires quick thinking, empathy, and always keeping the best interests of the brand in mind, from both brands and creators. To use social media in the modern way, you need to understand how strategies have changed. But if you ever need help, we'll always be here for you.