Top Social Media Trends To Watch In 2026

 

lifelike images and scenes. McDonalds Netherlands have seen the negative reaction to AI – their Christmas Ad, made using generative AI, was released on December 6th 2025 and pulled merely a week later due to online criticism – the company telling the BBC that they’d use it as ‘important learning’ whilst they assess using AI effectively. They’re not the only company to face this kind of criticism over the festive period – Coca-Cola have been accused of using AI in their Christmas ad campaigns these last two years, and despite pushback from the company themselves clarifying their ads still have human input, media reports and public response are pretty telling of where things stand with using, or even being assumed to be using AI for these purposes at this moment in time. It doesn’t seem like something that will be stopped, but it’s also not something the public are on board with just yet. It also poses the questions – where does this leave the human element of content and ad creation, and what’s in store for the future of advertising? 

 

Aside from AI, social commerce and niche influencer marketing has really come into its own – and it’s only getting bigger, especially where TikTok is concerned. Take a few minutes to scroll through your FYP – I’ve certainly noticed more ads popping up alongside my usual content, and sometimes it’s not even directly obvious on first watch – given away only by a ‘commission paid’ symbol, other times ads have been disguised like images you can swipe across, often taking you to a link when you try to engage with the content. Clever, but also bringing in a lot of revenue. TikTok Shop, according to Sprout Social is now the UK’s fastest-growing online marketplace, accounting for £42.39 million in sales worth (2.14% of all sales globally) and with 200,000 active sellers. 

Now we’ve touched on 2025, lets look ahead to the new year and what we can expect to see on the rise…. 

 

Nostalgia Marketing – Nostalgia has been turned from a feeling that we get from time to time to a real desire – especially for Gen Z – and marketers have started to use it to their advantage, likely continuing to do so into 2026. Younger people seem to be looking back at a time they deem to have been simpler – right now that being the 90s and 00s, with the early 2010s also starting to creep in for some. Brands have capitalised on this recently by using stars who defined those eras in their adverts, making references to popular films or TV Shows and even creating products that mirror popular products from these eras – or the brands themselves bring these products back entirely. Nostalgia will always exist, but it commercialisation is only getting started and will be something to keep an eye on in 2026. 

 

AI – Like 2025, AI will continue to be a big hitter in 2026 – with GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) helping AI powered algorithms when search queries are submitted. Think about when you use a search engine – its often the AI summary that’s shown first ahead of links to other sites. There’s also the ability for specific industries to introduce AI to their own sites too – Ikea’s Kreativ feature allows customers to build their own rooms, use their starter room or scan their own space to test out furniture that’s true to scale, giving customers confidence that not only what they buy looks good, but that it’ll fit too. 

 

Involve Your Audience – You’ve probably been creating brand stories with your marketing, but it seems like customers don’t just want to hear those stories in 2026 – they want to be part of them. Making things interactive and bringing your audience in will help not to get them involved , but show others you want to provide them the best customer experience whilst using others just like them in your advertising or community building. Something that has swept TikTok this last month is the idea of being in ‘Group 7’ – a set of videos by musician Sophia James who made multiple TikTok's with the premise being ‘ if you see this, you’re in group [number]”, both promoting her music and testing the TikTok algorithm – leading to a feeling of exclusivity over certain groups (in this case, 7 being the most popular). It’s a classic reliance on FOMO, but also letting your audience become involved in something they feel is for ‘them’ no matter the concept. 

 

2026 is nearly upon us so there’s no better time to be reviewing your marketing strategy than right now so you’re ready for when January comes around. Hopefully this will all be helpful for shaping your campaigns next year.