Tess Barclay, Jade Beason, Pretty Little Marketer, and other marketing leaders share the top 2026 social media trends. Gear up for the continued rise of AI-generated content (but also AI ick), vibe economy, community management as a top priority, video podcast, and more.
Social media doesn’t shift overnight, but the signs always show up early: if you know where to look. As your resident social media marketing expert, we’re constantly tracking the trends and insights that shape what's next in the digital marketing space.
But we’re not the only ones. In this article, we’ll introduce the top creators predicting the latest social media trends for 2026. They have the credentials, the know-how, and the receipts to back up their predictions. Let’s meet them!
Dejaih Smith | Pretty Little Marketer
- YouTube: @prettylittlemarketer
- Instagram: @prettylittlemarketer
- Threads: @prettylittlemarketer
- Website: Pretty Little Marketer
In 2020, Dejaih Smith was a second-year marketing student who decidedly did not know what she was doing. But she’s passionate and eager to learn, so she made it her business to create a safe space for marketers to learn and grow.
Now, she’s heading a 600,000+ strong community of pretty little marketers with her newsletter and social media accounts. She studies cultural cycles, platform shifts, and creator behavior, consulting with creators, marketers, brand founders, and social teams across industries.
Over the years, Pretty Little Marketer has hosted marketing events and collaborated with top brands, including ASOS, L'Oréal, and Meta. Best of all, like us, she’s also Chronically Online. Suffice it to say, we trust that she knows what she’s talking about.
Her forecasted social media trends for 2025 were pretty spot on! Last year, she predicted:
- The rise of experiential marketing (over social campaigns)
- Refined outbound community management tactics
- The “unhinged brand personality” Gen Z interns have brought to life all over social media.
What are the emerging social media trends predicted for 2026?
According to Pretty Little Marketer, these are the emergent 2026 social media trends to look forward to in the year ahead:
- Brand spam accounts for producing more natural, less edited content
- Creator brand takeovers (think Leah Kateb as Chief Creative Officer and Re-founder of Clean Fragrance Brand Skylar)
- Third spaces and cafe experiences as a way to attract (and integrate) with established private communities
- The return of the 2016 aesthetic: maximalist individuality, nostalgia-soaked identity building, unpolished (but purposeful) feeds
- Vibe economy; Polyvore, Tumblr, Pinterest, and We Heart It curators will be key to inspiring social media users to spend
Tess Barclay | Busy Blooming
- YouTube: @TessBarclay
- Instagram: @tessbarclay
- Threads: @tessbarclay
- Website: Busy Blooming
Tess Barclay is the founder of Busy Blooming, one of the most trusted voices in the content creation space. She’s been working in social media marketing for over 10 years, starting before many brands even recognized the power of digital marketing.
She has worked with 600+ creators, consulting on content strategy, platform updates, and trend forecasting. Her insights are heavily informed by real-world results from Busy Blooming and her own social media.
Tess’s podcast and social channels focus on the latest trends, marketing strategies, and creator insights that shape the social media landscape. She shares insights on what works and what doesn't on social apps and search engines throughout the year.
What not to post in 2026 to grow your social media
According to Tess Barclay, here are the top “content icks” brands and creators should avoid posting for 2026:
- Generative AI content (especially avoid scripting with ChatGPT, people clock it that fast)
- Audio-only podcast. Audience behavior data shows that many individuals primarily engage with podcasts through video social platforms, particularly among younger users.
- Viral or views-only content that doesn’t do anything for your brand. Along the same vein, avoid pity and aesthetic-only content. Focus on content that relates to your brand and your audience.
- Random Instagram stories that don’t do anything. Scrap the random breakfast posts (with nary a caption); instead, post content that fosters meaningful connections with your niche audiences.
- Break announcements. Tess Barclay says, “If you take a break from social, just take a break. And if you’re back, just be back.”
- “Why” hook. Don’t waste time explaining why a video exists. Jump straight into the content and capture attention immediately. With AI tools increasingly scanning social search platforms, being indirect can hurt AI engine optimization and discoverability.
- Tips + hacks content. Tess predicts that AI tools will dominate this space, rendering generic “tips and hacks” less engaging and less differentiating.
- Hustle fear-mongering content. Intense, mean-spirited hooks like “Your mindset is keeping you broke” no longer resonate. These fear-based approaches may have been effective in the past, but today's audiences prefer constructive and value-driven content.
- “Day in the life” or “week in the life” vlogs. Routine personal vlogs without a clear theme or purpose are outdated. If you do vlog content in 2026, it must have a defined theme or narrative rather than just documenting a day or week.
Ashleen Narula | Grad Girl Marketing
- TikTok: @gradgirlmarketing
- Instagram: @gradgirlmarketing
- Threads: @gradgirlmarketing
Ashleen Narula founded Grad Girl Marketing to support young professionals in the marketing industry, while helping brands leverage social commerce more effectively. Her community typically shares marketing news, campaign updates, social media trends, and practical resources.
Before launching Grad Girl Marketing in 2020, Ashleen was in the business of programmatic, organic, and paid social media marketing. She helped companies like Apple and H&M manage their global ad spend and grow their digital presence.
Eventually, her work in Grad Girl Marketing expanded into public speaking, 1:1 career coaching, CV writing and audits, and user-generated content (UGC) creation. The community has since grown into one of the top marketing and careers hubs on Instagram and LinkedIn.
What are the beauty marketing trends for 2026?
According to Grad Girl Marketing (from IMPACT by Gradient Experience), here are the top beauty marketing trends to watch in the year ahead:
- Experiential marketing will continue to grow; more brands will combine live customer experiences with influencer marketing, paid social, and retail
- Consumer expectations are changing: they want to feel part of the brand, not just a watcher.
- Community building, belonging, and a sense of inclusion will be non-negotiable. Put community management at the front and centre of your social brand strategy.
Jade Beason |
- YouTube: @JadeBeason
- Instagram: @jadebeason
- Threads: @jadebeason
- Website: Jade Beason
Jade Beason is the founder of The Creator Project (a hub for creator news and tips) and the Social People Agency, her very own social media marketing agency. She uses her social platforms to educate brands and creators on how to grow and get paid online.
She shares content like:
- How to double your Instagram followers
- How to repurpose videos from your long-form content
- Behind the scenes of a successful social media agency (hint: we got those too!)
- How to get more views on short-form videos
Jade has been in the social media marketing industry for 12+ years. She knows what she’s doing, and she uses her own strategy to grow her personal and business platforms. Currently, her YouTube channel has garnered 293,000 followers, while her Instagram account boasts 75,700 followers.
Every year, she predicts social media trends, and we’re not surprised to see that she’s usually correct!
How will AI influence social media marketing strategies in 2026?
According to Jade Beason, AI will influence the process of content creation, not the end result. Completely AI-driven content, with no human judgment or editing, has contributed to the rise of AI-generated “slop”: in her words, “crap content.”
Social media users are less interested in AI slop, so brands are increasingly leaning towards human content creators who produce authentic content. Instead, AI will be used to help you:
- Edit faster
- Tweak hooks and scripts
- Automate campaign optimization
- Predict trends
- Identify gaps in the market
Learn more: How AI is Transforming Content Creation and SEO Practices
Neil Patel | NP Di
- YouTube: @neilpatel
- Instagram: @neilpatel
- Threads: @neilpatel
- Website: NP Digital
Neil Patel is one of the top voices in the digital marketing sphere, recognized by both The Wall Street Journal and Forbes. He’s also a New York Times best-selling author and co-founder of NP Digital, an agency specializing in SEO, content marketing, and growth strategies for brands.
He shares actionable insights on social media trends, audience growth, and AI-driven marketing strategies. Every year, he and his agency track emerging trends, platform updates, and content innovations to help brands stay ahead of the curve. They’re rarely wrong!
7 biggest social media marketing trends for 2026
According to Neil Patel, here are the seven 2026 social media trends brands should prepare for:
- Short-form video will continue dominating. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are must-haves in every brand and creator’s social media toolkit.
- Social platforms will increasingly function like full-fledged e-commerce ecosystems. In-app shopping, live commerce, and social storefronts will become standard for brands.
- Social listening will play a bigger role in content strategy. Brands will rely on real-time audience insights to identify trends (trend-jacking) and engage at the right moment.
- Social platforms are the new search engines. If your posts aren’t optimized for search, they won’t be found.
- Value-driven content will outperform high-volume posting. Brands that educate, inform, or entertain will see stronger engagement than those focused on promotions.
- Niche communities will grow in influence. Smaller, interest-based groups on Reddit, Discord, and Facebook will drive deeper trust and stronger brand loyalty than broad social feeds.
- Brands will need to feel more human. Authentic storytelling, real voices, and behind-the-scenes content will outperform polished, corporate messaging in 2026.
Key Takeaways
Stay on top of social media trends this 2026
Think you’re ready for 2026 social media trends about to take over your feed?
Understanding predictions is one thing. Turning them into strategy is another. At The Influence Agency, we don’t just keep track of audience behavior and industry trends. We translate them into measurable results.
We help brands and creators stay ahead, not play catch-up. From influencer strategy to answer engine marketing, we build campaigns designed for what’s next.
Ready to future-proof your social media strategy? Let’s talk.