Blog

It’s the end of the year, and a lot of social media companies are taking the opportunity to look back and report on what stands out from 2020. In a year where many people were kept apart from coworkers, friends, and loved ones, social media was a crucial way to fill the void and keep connected. The trends and predictions shown here provide a peak into the way we all lived in 2020. Many of the trends are geared toward social marketers, so the datapoints may prove quite valuable to those of us planning for 2021…

Below, find a quick rundown of all the “lookbacks” we found on the big company blogs, along with some of the biggest takeaways from each one.

Enjoy!

Twitter

Spending 2020 Together on Twitter – Take a look at the Most Retweeted and Top Liked Tweets of the year (including the Tweet announcing the death of Chadwick Boseman) as well as top trends (from most used emoji—check out the graphic below—to the most discussed TV shows).

The state of social intelligence: 2020 year in review – Explore four analytics themes identified by Twitter’s Lead Product Solutions Sales Manager in conversation with social intelligence practitioners, including: (1) Speed to insight, (2) Explosion of external data sources, (3) DIY meets data integration, and (4) Truly game-changing innovation.

Best of Tweets 2020 – From the Twitter Marketing blog, explore 10 ad campaigns that pushed through the challenges this year to deliver successful results on Twitter, like Uber’s safety-first #MoveWhatMatters ad and #PayItForwardLIVE livestreams.

Facebook

2020 Year in Review and Top Pop Culture Moments – This FB News article shares the top moments of 2020, sorted into six themes that “offer context into the ways people shared and experienced them”, from icons like Kobe Bryant and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the use of Messenger to support Faith & Community. Check out the PDF infographic, too.

TikTok

The Year on TikTok: Top 100 – Relive the best posts and themes from the year, including the cranberry juice Fleetwood Mac skateboarding sensation and top trends like the Pancake Cereal recipe.

The Year on TikTok: Brands that inspired us – Take a look at the TikTok ads that stood out on the platform, including top hashtag challenges, eye-catching creatives, and top branded effects.

Instagram

Instagram Year in Review: How Memes Were the Mood of 2020 – Check out the memes that stood out on IG this year. Apparently, over 1 million posts mention “meme” on Instagram each day. This year, ”memes kept us sane and helped us cope when we were six feet apart or more.”

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Top Voices 2020: Meet the professionals driving today's business conversation – This is a very thought-provoking list of influencers making an impact through LinkedIn. Explore how professionals like Brené Brown (who writes about topics such as “grounded confidence”) or Dr. Noel Yeo (who is documenting his experiences fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines) are harnessing LinkedIn. You can also click into sub-categories to explore the Top Voices in fields like Design and Front-Line Retail.

10 Ways LinkedIn Talent Products Evolved to Meet Your Needs in 2020 – This post highlights ways that LinkedIn’s recruiting tools have changed to meet new needs in 2020, such as the Open to Work badge, name pronunciation, and the Remote filter in job searches. Have to hand it to LinkedIn: they seem to have done a lot of good work in this area this year.

5 Meaningful Employer Branding Trends That Emerged in 2020 – This reflection piece has some great trends for employer brands to consider, including: (1) Go beyond platitudes and focus on actions; (2) Ask more questions and encourage conversation; (3) Show a more vulnerable side to your company; (4) Talk openly, holistically, and empathetically about employee wellbeing; and (5) Build a connection from afar through live streaming.

These trends are based on The Future of Recruiting report. One finding is highlighted in the infographic below.

Snapchat

The Friendship Report 2020 – This annual report (the first was in 2019), based on a Snap Inc. and Alter Agents study, provides “Insights on how to maintain friendships, navigate endships, and stay connected during COVID-19.” It highlights how digital communication helps friends stay connected. Check out the full PDF for a nice, illustrated version of the findings.

Pinterest

Pinterest Predicts 2021 – This is a compelling resource for thinking about how trends might play out in 2021. It’s based on Pinterest engagement data, which is bolstered by last year’s predictions—in which the company shows examples they say proves they got 8 out of 10 predictions correct, from the rise of Global design influence to increases in eco-friendly habits. In 2021, they predict the rise of trends such as skinamilism, pet lizards, and the Japandi aesthetic. Download the full Pinterest Predicts Report PDF for more.

YouTube

As you can see below, YouTube had a lot to reflect on this year! Each reflection piece is pretty self-explanatory from the title, but for content planning inspiration, we especially recommend checking out the top trending videos and creators (the first in the list).

2020's top-trending videos and creators

Analyzing pop culture with YouTube's Culture & Trends Report (Check out the Intro video below.)

The Year in YouTube Music 2020

2020 is YouTube Gaming's biggest year, ever: 100B watch time hours

Top 10 ads you watched on YouTube in 2020

Spotify

2020 Wrapped - Year in Review – Around this time last year, we pointed out how Spotify Wrapped seemed to take over the world. Spotify continued this campaign this year, building a personalized Year in Review story-style experience directly into the Spotify app. You can see global trends on the 2020.byspotify.com website, or in the 2020 Wrapped playlists.

The Trends That Shaped Streaming in 2020 – Review the most popular artists, podcasts and more, as well as streaming trends like an increase in work-from-home themed playlists.

For the Record's 2020 'Year in Review' – Spotify looks back on the year’s accomplishments, like testing video podcasts and Group Session Beta for listening together.

Reddit

Reddit's 2020 Year in Review – Find stats and trends about how Reddit users engaged this year, like the most upvoted posts (#1 was a throwback from Rick Astley, of Rickrolling fame) and the trending topics of the year.

Related News

This month, we’ve also got you covered on these important social media news items:

Here are a few more shareworthy items we’ve been reading…

Channel Updates & News:

• Instagram Tests Sharing Reels to Facebook's News Feed (SocialMediaToday)

• A 'community feed' is coming to Google Maps (Search Engine Land)

• How to print free Facebook Business posters (Facebook Help)

• Making it Easier to Shop on WhatsApp with Carts (Whatsapp Blog)

• Twitter Halts Test of Threaded Replies, Shuts Down Experimental twttr App (SocialMediaToday)

• Pinterest launches new board features focused on wellness pinning (Pinterest news)

• Help Your Neighborhood Shine with Nextdoor’s Cheer Map (Nextdoor blog)

• A new look and feel: introducing Foursquare Everywhere (Foursquare blog)

• Frequency Caps: Updates on how to make the most of your Twitter Ads (Twitter Blog)

Stories & Analysis

• How one teen got 98 million TikTok followers (The Atlantic)

• How social media algorithms "Optimize for Engagement” (Sparktoro blog)

• TikTok's new generation of millionaires: 'I did it 100% on my own' (Yahoo Finance)

• Q&A: What's next for Facebook in the antitrust case? (AP News)

• What TikTok Taught One Stand-Up Comic (NYTimes)

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