2021 was another mammoth year of lockdowns, COVID variants and viral TikTok trends. With so much going on, there’s always plenty to take away from it. Here are the key things we learned from social media this year.

It’s all about connection

The best way to create a strong connection with your audience is by, well, connecting with them. Influencers and brands alike did well in 2021 by keeping it real - sharing their lives, brand stories and peaks and troughs with their followers. Taking away the sheen of the phone screen and creating content that audiences can relate to and understand was a big way to boost engagement this year, and features like the Question sticker for Instagram stories helped to bridge the gap even more.

Subscription is the next big thing

Call it the OnlyFans effect. The limitations placed on social media advertising thanks to Apple’s iOS 14 update meant it was time to move into a new online era so creators could continue getting paid. With new additions to the market - like the hotly-anticipated Sunroom platform and some creators even paywalling their Close Friends stories - influencers and other big names in social media are finding more freedom to share and monetise their best content. It’s safe to say we’re ushering in a new wave of content consumption after this year.

2021 - the year of the vlog

We all love seeing a day in the life, and thanks to Instagram and TikTok, it was easier than ever for creators to put their videography chops to good use. Video is only on the up and up, so it’s safe to say while vlogging enjoyed a reconnaissance in 2021, we’re going to see a lot more of it in the future.

We’re heading into the Metaverse!

Facebook’s rebrand to Meta, and Mark Zuckerberg’s big plans for the online world were both unveiled this year. Virtual reality has been around for a little while now, but the new ways of working and interacting that we’ve adopted since 2020 have influenced a shift to an even more online lifestyle in the years to come. Is it cool or creepy?

Are you ready to take what you learnt this year and put it to practice for 2022? The best way to plan your social media is with the Simply Social® App. Download it today.