Platforms, Power, and Politics: The Great Social Media Shake-Up of 2025

In 2025, the intersection of politics and social media is poised to reach unprecedented levels.

Back in 2012, this was the focus of my Master’s thesis at University College Cork, examining how fighters in Syria used online social media platforms to post unverified information about attacks and casualties on both sides of the civil war.

13 years later, social media platforms are now highly politicised assets, both domestically and in the arena of international relations.

With President-elect Donald Trump set to assume office, his close allies, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, control two of the world’s largest social media platforms—X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (encompassing Facebook, Instagram, and Threads).

This consolidation of influence raises significant concerns about the impartiality and governance of digital public spaces. Notably, both platforms have recently made decisions that align with Trump’s political stance. Meta has eliminated its third-party fact-checking program, replacing it with user-generated “community notes,” a move critics argue caters to the incoming administration’s preferences.

Similarly, under Musk’s leadership, X has relaxed content moderation policies, leading to an increase in right-wing and extremist content posted by unidentifiable accounts.

In response to these shifts, alternative platforms like Bluesky are experiencing a surge in popularity. Bluesky, a decentralised social network, has been gaining approximately a million users per day, reflecting a growing desire for digital spaces free from the influence of Silicon Valley moguls.

Compounding these dynamics is the impending ban of TikTok in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests the platform. This move is expected to drive TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users toward alternative platforms like Xiaohongshu (known in the U.S as Red Note), which has been called “China’s answer to Instagram”, further intensifying the competition for user attention and content dominance.

The convergence of these factors underscores the escalating politicisation of social media and its implications for global discourse.

As digital marketing professionals, it is imperative to navigate this evolving landscape with heightened awareness and adaptability, recognising the shifting allegiances and emerging platforms that will shape the future of online engagement.

For brands and digital marketers, these changes bring both challenges and opportunities. Previously, larger audiences were concentrated on a few dominant platforms like X and Meta, simplifying content distribution strategies.

Now, the aforementioned political shifts and the emergence of rival independent platforms may mean that customer audiences become more fragmented. Digital marketing strategies will need to evolve to effectively target and engage with users across a broader range of platforms, each with unique characteristics and demographics.

One thing is for sure: at the start of 2025, we stand on the brink of the largest changes to social media in the last 15 years. Navigating this uncharted terrain will require agility, creativity, and an acute understanding of the shifting dynamics shaping the future of online engagement.

What’s your take on these changes? Are you ready for the challenges (and opportunities) they bring?