“Companies must be aware of the different social dynamics at play on different social media platforms in order to succeed with their marketing efforts. Influencer and content creator based marketing is highly impactful, and keeping abreast of macro-level trends can help brands capitalize on the growing market.”
– Brian Benway, Senior Analyst – Gaming and Technology
This Report looks at the following areas:
- Trends in social media use and content creator/influencer marketing
- Where the social media influencer market is heading and strategies to have an impact
- What factors are impacting social media sites, personalities and their followers
- Who considers themselves content creators/influencers
- Types of creators/influencers social media users follow and how followers interact
- Attitudes toward social media’s impact on shopping
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Overview
- What you need to know
- This Report looks at the following areas
- Definition
- Market context
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Executive Summary
- Top Takeaways
- Consumer trends
- Most social media users are on the platform to view, not to be seen
- Figure 1: Social media activity, 2023
- Generational divides evident in social media preferences
- Figure 2: Preferred platforms for following social media personalities – Any rank, by generation, 2023
- Success in the social community may demand reciprocal following
- Figure 3: Attitudes toward platforms for following content creators, by social media activity, 2023
- Leverage influencer collaboration opportunities to organically maximize reach
- Figure 4: Interactions with content creators, by social media activity, 2023
- Competitive strategies
- Market predictions
- Figure 5: Daily use of social media usage, by platform, 2017-23*
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- Figure 6: Outlook for social media and content creators, 2023-28
- Opportunities
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Market Value Indicators
- Influencer marketing shakes off ad targeting fears and continues growth
- The US far exceeds other countries for share of influencer marketing spend
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Social Media Platform Performance
- Social media use is nearly universal among internet users
- Figure 7: Any social media usage, 2018-23 and daily and weekly use by platform, 2023
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- Figure 8: Daily use of social media usage, by platform, 2017-23*
- Facebook remains at the top, TikTok continues to grow
- Figure 9: Social media app revenues ($ millions), 2010-22
- Social media use is nearly universal among internet users
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Market Factors
- TikTok pushes ahead despite legal uncertainty
- VR versus AR tech face off, big ideas that lack purpose
- Google’s new policy will delete content and wipe out accounts
- Meta EU-US data transfers trigger record-breaking $1.3 billion fine
- Supreme Court hands social media a massive liability win
- Reddit declares war on third-party apps via sky high APIs pricing hikes
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New Players in the Social Space
- Decentralized social media platforms challenge the status quo
- Mastodon: organic and all natural social media
- ByteDance’s Lemon8 combines features from Instagram and Pinterest
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Competitive Strategies and Market Opportunities
- Social media has opened up people’s diaries for the world to see
- Figure 10: Mintel Trend Drivers and Pillars – Rights, Technology and Wellbeing
- The deinfluencer movement is a reaction to excessive consumption
- Figure 11: TikTok Deinfluencer Katiehub.org, 2022
- Harnessing the power of AI for social media and brand marketing
- Enhance optimization strategies
- Consistent quality content
- Enriched customer interactions
- Figure 12: McDonald’s, Burger King, and Subway AI fueled marketing feud, 2023
- Social media has opened up people’s diaries for the world to see
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Fast Facts – Social Media Users
- Social media personalities are highly engaged with social media
- Personalities not only create, but also consume large amounts of content
- Associations with creators favor informative or funny personalities
- Personalities more likely to engage with paid for content and products
- Self-identified influencers have strong attitudes towards social media
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Social Media Users and Personalities
- One in five social media users consider themselves an influencer or content creator
- Figure 13: Social media activity, 2023
- Self-assessment among self-proclaimed social media influencers
- Figure 14: Social media personalities (NET) – Indexed to all social media users, 2023
- Influencers and content creators often overlap, but some demographics stand out
- Figure 15: Considers self an influencer – Indexed to all social media users, 2023
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- Figure 16: Considers self a content creator – Indexed to all social media users, 2023
- One in five social media users consider themselves an influencer or content creator
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Social Platform Usage
- Room to innovate and grow in the social media space
- Figure 17: Preferred platforms for following social media personalities, 2023
- Brand identity shouldn’t change across platform, but tone and delivery should fit the format
- Figure 18: Preferred platforms for following social media personalities – Any rank, by generation, 2023
- Partnerships should marry platform with personality for branded content
- Figure 19: Preferred platforms for following social media personalities – Any rank, by social media activity, 2023
- Room to innovate and grow in the social media space
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Attitudes Toward Platforms for Following
- Weigh in the balance when eyeing multiple platforms
- Figure 20: Attitudes toward platforms for following content creators, 2023
- Strengthening bonds between personalities
- Figure 21: Attitudes toward platforms for following content creators, by social media activity, 2023
- Weigh in the balance when eyeing multiple platforms
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Types of Content Creators Followed
- Experiential and tutorial-type personalities are most popular
- Figure 22: Types of social media personalities followed, 2023
- Potential risks of following too many social media personalities
- Figure 23: Types of social media personalities followed, by social media activity, 2023
- Social media expands connections beyond the LGBTQ+ community
- Figure 24: Social media content creation, by LGBTQ+ status, 2023
- Experiential and tutorial-type personalities are most popular
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Content Creation
- The appeal of getting paid to be special
- Figure 25: Social media content creation, 2023
- Influencers may have a greater drive to feel important and influential
- Figure 26: Social media content creation, by social media activity, 2023
- Meet audiences where they are, and push them just a little further
- Figure 27: Social media content creation, by parental status and gender, 2023
- The appeal of getting paid to be special
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Associations with Content Creators
- Leveraging emotional connections via purposeful content
- Figure 28: Associations with content creators, 2023
- Polarized generational values could create risk for careless brands
- Figure 29: Associations with content creators, by generation, 2023
- Wanting something new but needing something useful
- Figure 30: Associations with content creators, by social media activity, 2023
- Leveraging emotional connections via purposeful content
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Attitudes Toward Relationships with Content Creators
- Connections with followers are positive, but be mindful of potential pitfalls
- Figure 31: Attitudes toward relationships with content creators, 2023
- Making fantasy work for the realities of social media relationships
- Figure 32: Attitudes toward relationships with content creators, by gender and age, 2023
- Connections with followers are positive, but be mindful of potential pitfalls
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Interactions with Content Creators
- Paid interactions are an infrequent occasion for most followers
- Figure 33: Interactions with content creators, 2023
- A rising social media tide lifts all boats
- Figure 34: Interactions with content creators, by social media activity, 2023
- Leverage social media partnerships to reach different generations
- Figure 35: Interactions with content creators, by generation, 2023
- Paid interactions are an infrequent occasion for most followers
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Attitudes Toward Creators’ Impact on Shopping
- Influencer marketing: impactful and expected to grow
- Figure 36: Attitudes toward creators’ impact on shopping, 2023
- Leverage content creators and influencers to reach Black consumers
- Figure 37: Attitudes toward creators’ impact on shopping, by race and Hispanic origin, 2023
- Influencer marketing: impactful and expected to grow
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Attitudes Toward Content Creation
- Social media fame could be a product of real world small business needs
- Figure 38: Social media personalities’ attitudes toward content creation, 2023
- Influencers understand the power of social media for business success
- Figure 39: Social media personalities’ attitudes toward content creation, by social media activity, 2023
- Social media fame could be a product of real world small business needs
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
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Appendix – Consumer
- Social Media Users and Personalities
- Figure 40: Social media influencers/content creators, by demographics (1), 2023
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- Figure 41: Social media influencers/content creators, by demographics (2), 2023
- Content creation
- Figure 42: Social media content creation, by social media activity, 2023
- Content Creator Types Followed
- Figure 43: Types of social media personalities followed, by social media activity, 2023
- Social Media Users and Personalities
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