The article by Andrew Hutchinson emphasizes the shift in social media marketing from interaction to entertainment. This evolution is largely due to the influence of TikTok, which has redefined the social media matrix by focusing on time spent in-app and public posting, rather than likes and comments.
Hutchinson highlights that 50% of the content users see on Instagram and 30% on Facebook now comes via AI recommendations, not from accounts they follow. This content is not primarily aimed at driving likes and comments, but at increasing the time users spend watching. As a result, social media is becoming less interactive and more akin to traditional media.
This shift has implications for social media marketing strategies. The focus should move away from posts that spark comments to those that purely entertain. The most entertaining content wins in this scenario, not posts that seek user opinions.
The rise of generative AI is also noteworthy. While these tools can generate human-like images, text, and video clips, they struggle to create truly creative concepts. This limitation could further enhance the value of unique, interesting concepts amidst the increasing use of AI tools.
The article concludes by predicting that past best practices in social media marketing, such as engagement bait, hashtags, and calls to action, will become less important as more platforms shift to focus on AI recommendations.
