I’m going to share with you the top three social media trends for 2021. 

Talkwalker in conjunction with HubSpot interviewed thousands of marketers and surveyed them on the top 10 trends that industry experts suggested would be most dominant in 2021. 

I was lucky enough to be part of the industry voice, and in fact my trend for 2021 appears at number two. 

3 – The major social networks are still going to remain dominant. 

The major platforms aren’t going to disappear and they aren’t going to be taken over by the next new social network. 

So for the government and public sector, you really need to cement your presence on; 

• Facebook, the public facing social network.
• Twitter, where you engage with the media, stakeholders, interest groups for corporate communications.
• Instagram, to bring audiences behind the scenes and to show the people and the culture behind your organisation. 
• LinkedIn, this platform really is about profiling yourself among a professional network.
  The world health organisation, as an example, grew by 200% in 18 months over on LinkedIn, they realised that the LinkedIn network was a powerful advocate voice for public health messaging and those on LinkedIn held senior leadership roles.
• TikTok, a social network that is centered around the content and how that content is created.
  So if you’re thinking about TikTok and stepping into TikTok for 2021, it’s all about vertical, mobile video, up to 60 seconds in length, fast moving, with hashtags, effects, filters and sounds at the center.
  If nothing else, get your team on TikTok to practice creating really great mobile video. 

2 – The rise of digital misinformation. 

This is a huge concern for all of us, as bad actors take over the social networks for their own personal gain, and for a gain that is probably not aligned with the government or public sector or indeed with those of you who act on social media for good. 

How can you disrupt the rise and the spread of digital misinformation? 

Well it’s as simple as stepping up and publishing more long-form fact-based content right across the social networks. 

Remember consistency and volume will trump virality every single time. 

We all have a responsibility to stop the spread of fake news, and in particular those of you those in government and in politics and working in the public services, have a real responsibility to the people to step out and to make sure that the truth spreads online faster than lies, fake news and misinformation. 

1 – The rise of the socially conscious audience. 

Citizens care about transparency. 

Citizens care about the environment. 

Citizens care about making a difference. 

The citizen voice and those that are socially conscious are speaking out and they are speaking up. 

Their voice is potentially going to be louder and heard more than the government, political or the public sector voice, it’s really important that we allow those people to speak, and it’s really important that we listen. 

But the big prediction for 2021 is that the rise of the socially conscious audience is going to have a deeper footprint on social media. For the government and public sector you can align yourselves with those voices that are in tune with what your policies are. 

So for 2021 let’s use social media for good and let’s all be aware of what part we are playing in disrupting misinformation.