Women aged 16-24 are more likely than men to say social media personalities help them discover new products or brands (42% vs 22%). While young men follow influencers almost as frequently, they value educational content more highly (44% vs 30% for women). To engage young men, brands should leverage informative content and collaborate with influencers who demonstrate expertise.
The influencer market is often said to be oversaturated. In fact, 67% of social media users think the content from different social media personalities is becoming increasingly alike. The rise of AI-generated content on online platforms, supported by AI content creation tools, will amplify this trend. Consumers will increasingly seek stronger individualisation and actively search for niche communities where they feel represented. For brands to succeed, they need to focus on sharing stories with their communities instead of controlling the message. This means helping people connect, like organising in-person events.
Authenticity is key in influencer marketing. Brands should take a collaborative approach by allowing influencers to set the tone and co-create content that genuinely resonates with their audience. However, giving influencer partners more creative freedom always involves a certain level of risk for brands, especially in a world where misinformation is a major concern for consumers. This makes it all the more important to carefully select trustworthy influencers in advance who offer a strong brand fit.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Usage of social media platforms and who consumers follow on different platforms
- Impact social media personalities have on consumers, with a focus on the emotional value
- Brand collaborations with social media personalities consumers would like to see more of, with consumers expecting more authenticity and proof
- Attitudes and behaviours regarding trust and accountability in influencer marketing, perception of influencer content, and AI in content creation
The perception that influencer content is becoming increasingly alike, combined with the rise of AI-generated content, is shifting the focus to real human connections and a stronger sense of reality on social platforms.
Lena Rittmann, Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Outlook
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OPPORTUNITIES
- Embrace authenticity
- Stepping aside to stand out: creating authentic value for influencers’ audiences
- Step into the growing appeal of niche communities
- Show community-focused engagement by supporting in-person events
- Provide better decision-making support
- Provable credibility is key to leverage the rise of social commerce opportunities
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CONSUMER
- Who consumers follow on social media platforms
- Influencers are popular in Germany
- Gen Z and Millennials lead with influencer engagement
- Graph 1: who consumers frequently view content from on social media – NET, by generation, 2025
- Consider the needs of different budgets in influencer marketing
- Graph 2: consumers that frequently view content from social media personalities on select platforms, by financial situation, 2025
- Twitch and TikTok lead as top platforms for influencers
- Graph 3: platform that users frequently view content from social media personalities, 2025
- Social media personalities’ impact on consumers
- Mood-focused content drives emotional connections
- Graph 4: ‘social media personalities I frequently view…’, 2025
- Almost six in 10 social media influencer followers feel no brand-/purchase-related impact
- Graph 5: impact social media influencers have on followers, NET, 2025
- Don’t let influencer hypes backfire on your brand
- Influencers fuel young people’s desire to connect
- Inspire young men to discover new products with better insights
- What consumers expect from influencer marketing
- Social media users want more-meaningful reviews
- Graph 6: types of brand collaborations with social media personalities consumers would like to see more of, 2025
- Reliable reviews on social media resonate with today’s online shopping sentiments
- Authenticity under spotlight: drop the script
- How Lavera makes an authentic appearance by matching the style of the content creator
- Create collaborative content as a brand – subtle but consistent
- Younger audiences seek two-way communication with influencers
- Graph 7: types of brand collaborations with social media personalities consumers would like to see more of, by age, 2025
- Support in-person events to stand out in an increasingly digital world
- Trust and accountability
- Influencer-driven misinformation raises widespread worries
- As awareness for online risks grow, thoughtful influencer selection is now ever more important to brands
- Not all followers are believers
- Graph 8: ‘I frequently view content from social media personalities despite lacking trust in their product recommendations’, by age, 2025
- Elevate influencer strategy with more expertise
- Graph 9: ‘Most social media personalities thoroughly research the brands/products they promote’, 2025
- Content preferences
- Individuality takes a spotlight on social media
- Cut through the mainstream noise
- Gen Z’s fast-paced discovery habits challenge brands to build lasting connections
- Graph 10: whether consumers find it easy to discover new social media personalities whose content aligns with their interests, 2025
- Technology and AI in Social Media
- Overusing AI can backfire on content creators
- AI influencers can add value with information
- Graph 11: ‘I am interested in interacting with a virtual/CGI social media personality*’, by age, 2025
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INNOVATIONS
- Meta’s AI chatbot supports users and content creators
- TikTok pushes towards smarter content creator discovery and manual customisation
- YouTube introduces voice note replies to strengthen creator-community connections
- TikTok: brands should get more creative with AI-driven advertising campaigns
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MARKET DRIVERS
- Social media usage
- Built habits on Facebook secure the platform’s high usage rate
- Graph 12: social media platforms used, 2025
- 16-34s: Instagram is a part of daily life
- Graph 13: how often 16-34s use social media platforms, 2025
- Media consumption
- Social media is the everyday medium of the younger consumers
- Graph 14: daily media consumption, by age, 2025
- Nation’s mood remains gloomy, media offers an escape
- Graph 15: agreement that it feels like most people in Germany are in a bad mood at the moment, 2024-25
- The sense of community on social media plays a key role in modern media consumption
- Social commerce
- Social commerce is gaining traction with the launch of TikTok Shop
- How social commerce is impacting influencer marketing
- Advances in AI content
- AI-generated content rises, but trust issues persist among users
- Social media regulations
- Meta’s moderation policies highlight the ongoing tension between free expression and regulatory control on social media
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Products covered in this report
- Abbreviations
- Methodology – consumer research
- Consumer research methodology
- A note on language
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