The Social Pulse | June 2025 Edition

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Ryan Abramson: Staying Ahead in a Swipe-First World

Hey there, Social Pulse readers! 👋

If you’ve ever felt like keeping up with social media trends is like running on a treadmill that’s speeding up while someone throws confetti in your face — you’re not alone.

Between shifting algorithms, platform pivots, and new apps showing up faster than you can say “engagement boost,” staying current in the world of social media is no small feat.

So, let’s slow it down (just a little) and break it all down. What’s changed in the last month? What’s coming next? And how can we — as strategists, creators, and brand leaders — adapt and thrive?

Let’s dive in. 🚀

📊 The State of Social Media in 2025: What the Data Tells Us

More than 5.07 billion people are now using social media globally, according to the latest DataReportal. That’s more than 62% of the world’s population. And in the U.S. alone, average daily usage has crept up to 2 hours and 36 minutes.

Here’s a quick snapshot of platform usage by active users:

Facebook: 2.9B
YouTube: 2.5B
Instagram: 2.1B
TikTok: 1.7B
LinkedIn: 1.1B
X: 610M
Snapchat: 750M
Threads: 180M
Pinterest: 520M

Yes, Facebook is still technically alive — but more on that in a minute. 👀

🔍 What’s New? Major Platform Updates You Need to Know

💼 LinkedIn: The New Power Player

If you’re not doubling down on LinkedIn, now’s the time. Thanks to its latest algorithm update, posts with helpful, insightful, and original perspectives are favored — especially from creators who post consistently and engage with their network. AI-generated content? It’s tolerated but not prioritized unless humanized.

💡 Tip: Add a personal story, tag relevant connections, and ask an open-ended question to spark conversation.

🎥 TikTok: Ban or Boom?

TikTok remains under pressure in the U.S., with potential bans tied up in legal challenges. The Verge reports that while President Biden signed a bill giving ByteDance a 270-day deadline to divest, TikTok has already launched legal defenses claiming First

Amendment violations. In the meantime, usage is soaring — particularly in educational, creator economy, and B2B storytelling.

💡 Tip: Keep creating on TikTok, but diversify your short-form content across YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels in case anything shifts overnight.

📸 Instagram: More Video, Less Hashtag

Instagram continues rewarding creators who focus on Reels, carousels, and high-retention video. Hashtags are taking a backseat to topic tagging and SEO-style captions. The algorithm now emphasizes time spent watching, sharing, and saving over likes and comments.

💡 Tip: Stop stuffing your captions with 30 hashtags. Instead, write like you’re solving a problem or sharing something worth saving.

🔮 Looking Ahead: What’s Coming Next?

📱 New Platforms Are Gaining Steam

According to Podcastle.ai, here are some fresh faces to watch:

Lemon8: A Pinterest–Instagram hybrid focused on lifestyle content. Huge in Asia, growing in the U.S.
BeReal: Still hanging in there, but usage is down. Engagement is low.
OpenAI Social (rumored): Multiple sources hint that OpenAI may launch a new social platform designed to compete with X — one that’s smart, safe, and AI-personalized. Worth watching.

If OpenAI enters the game, expect a major disruption in how communities form and communicate. Could it replace Reddit? Could it become the next Twitter? Time will tell.

📉 Is Facebook… Dead?

According to Socioblend, search interest in Facebook has dropped by 92% since its 2012 peak. That stat alone makes you pause.

But here's the twist: Facebook still has billions of active users. What’s changing is the demographic and intent. Gen Z isn’t on Facebook for fun; they’re there for Marketplace, community groups, and event planning. Boomers? Still loyal.

💡 Tip: Use Facebook for ads, retargeting, and niche group engagement — but don’t count on it for viral organic reach.

⚙️ Algorithm Tips and Tricks: Staying on the Right Side of the Feed

Let’s cut through the noise with a few reminders for beating the algorithms in 2025:

🧠 Value over virality: Today’s winning content educates, solves problems, or sparks dialogue. 📅 Post consistently: The more often you show up with quality, the more your audience grows. 📣 Engage like a human: Algorithms reward human behavior. Respond to comments. Don’t ghost your audience. 🎯 Niche down: Hyper-relevant content performs better than “all-things-to-everyone” posts.

And yes — don’t ignore your analytics. Whether it’s native insights or platforms like Hootsuite or Sprout, your numbers tell a story.

🧠 Creator Economy Check-In

The creator economy is now valued at over $250 billion, with projections to hit $480 billion by 2027. According to Cool Nerds Marketing, B2B creators are now just as important as B2C influencers.

As Ryan Abramson puts it:

“Thought leadership isn’t a trend — it’s a strategy. People follow people who teach them something, make them think, or help them grow.”

That’s why creators and professionals alike are doubling down on long-form storytelling on LinkedIn, podcasting, and repurposing short-form video across channels.

🧠 Quick Take: Best Practices for June–July 2025

✅ Post at least 3x/week on LinkedIn with one long-form post per week ✅ Repurpose one post per week as a video (Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts) ✅ Start using keyword-rich captions instead of hashtags ✅ Focus on saves and shares over likes ✅ Be human. Be helpful. Be consistent.

📌 Final Thoughts

Every month, I hear from marketers, entrepreneurs, and brand leads who feel like they’re always behind. The truth is — we all do. But the key is to stay curious, try new things, learn from the data, and show up.

Social media is not about being perfect. It’s about being present.

I’ll leave you with this: