Creating a social media marketing trends report heading into 2026 was an interesting challenge. Trends are no longer linear, or even shaped like a traditional bell curve. They can be splintered and contradictory.

Social identities and communities are becoming more personal while AI is taking over content creation. Absurdist chaos battles it out with cozy nostalgia. All while social media evolves from a communications channel into a search engine, a research lab, and a high-stakes creative testing ground. 

In our annual exploration of the latest social media trends, we highlight what brands need to know to stay relevant in the lightning-fast social ecosystem of 2026. ..

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