• In 2026, users will favour short, practical, and educational content (short-form videos, podcasts, slideshows)
  • Algorithms will prioritise content that fosters deeper audience engagement and interactions
  • Creative content should be simple, human-led, and published consistently

 

2026 will likely be a turning point for social media. While content creators have spent several years chasing visibility at all costs, platforms and users alike appear to be shifting towards relevance and trust. The social media landscape is no longer a battleground where the loudest win and is gradually becoming a space where value, authenticity, and meaningful interactions are considered paramount.

What should we expect? Which content formats will rise to the top of our feeds? How are algorithms evolving? And, most importantly, how do brands and content creators adapt within this new ecosystem? Let’s take a closer look at the trends that will likely shape the coming year.

More selective and demanding audiences

The time when you could publish content on every platform without a clear strategy in place is coming to an end. In 2026, users are more selective about the type of content they consume. Gen Z and Gen Alpha continue to set the trend, showing a clear preference for dynamic, genuine, and, above all, relevant video content. Millennials alternate between personal and professional, catching up on the latest news on LinkedIn, while looking for inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest. According to the 2025 Sprout Social Index, Boomers tend to favour educational, reassuring, and detailed content.

In light of this fragmented market, brands are no longer trying to compete on all fronts. They usually focus their effort on a couple of platforms, and sometimes some strategic additional channels. The now dominant approach is to focus on “less, but better” content.

Main content formats in 2026: when usefulness trumps entertainment

Short-form videos

Even though short-form videos, or “Shorts”, also known as “snack content”, were thought to have reached a peak in 2025, they are showing no evidence of decline. In 2026, they switch from exclusively entertaining sequences to quickly consumed, educational, and valuable footage. Audiences are drawn toward 30-second “mini-courses”, fast demos, and before/after comparisons, because they combine speed and relevance. According to a Metricool study on the State of Short-Form Video in 2025, the average duration for a TikTok video is 41 seconds and only 4% are watched in their entirety.

Podcasts

Podcasts have sometimes been described as a declining medium. In 2026, however, it promises to be anything but. It is gradually becoming a strategic tool for brands and content creators alike.

There are two concurrent approaches to podcasting. On one side, longer formats are building loyalty, often as part of thematic series. On the other, shorter audio clips optimised for social media are used to attract new listeners.

Several recent formats illustrate the power of podcasts in France. Among these, Canapé 6 Places, hosted by famous French influencer Lena Situations, boasts more than 3 million followers on YouTube. In this podcast format, she welcomes prestigious guests, from public figures to subject-matter experts, in a relaxed yet refined setting, which encourages deeper exchanges.

In 2026, the emerging trend is to make podcasts more interactive. More and more platforms are testing “augmented” podcasts, which allow listeners’ comments, live polls, and the sending of additional content after listening. Podcasting is no longer about attracting passive listeners: it is now becoming a true relational experience.

Slideshows

Slideshows, which have long been confined to playing second fiddle, are entering a new golden age. Their strength lies in their ability to roll out a concept, describe a process, and share checklists across multiple steps. Their success is also due to algorithms: the more users save slideshows to view later, the higher they will appear in users’ feeds.

Live streaming

In 2026, live streaming is no longer a supporting tool, but a central format. Far from the earlier, improvised streams, it has now become a regular feature within communities. Brands use it to showcase their products, to answer live questions, and to host launch events.

The success of live streams rests on three pillars: co-hosting with experts or content creators to increase credibility, integrating social commerce or social selling, with the ability to buy directly during live sessions, and using active moderators, who transform the live chat into a space dedicated to rich and engaging exchanges.

Live streaming is becoming a hybrid format, halfway between content and experience, that helps increase visibility and conversion rates.

User-Generated Content

In 2026, User-Generated Content (UGC) is no longer a nice-to-have, but a critical part of social strategies. Brands have realised that testimonies, comments, and staged product showcases by customers and influencers build trust more effectively than traditional campaigns.

This quest for authenticity is entering a new dimension: UGC is becoming more structured and professionalised. Companies are no longer merely reposting spontaneously created content, they resort to specialised UGC agencies and collaborate with people who have made content creation their primary activity. These players are familiar with the specific codes of each platform and know how to produce content that feels natural to audiences while being optimised for performance.

Algorithms: the revenge of the trust signal

Rules governing algorithms are also changing. While screen time remains a crucial metric, it is no longer sufficient on its own. In 2026, platforms reward content that fosters deeper interactions – saves, shares in DMs, detailed comments. Simple ‘likes’ and rapid reactions no longer compare to genuine exchanges between users.

Social SEO is another major shift. Conversational searches are booming. TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn are increasingly used as search engines in their own right. Brands must therefore think of their content in terms of queries (“How to…”, “Best way to…”, “What to avoid when…”) and optimise their titles, subtitles, and captions.

Finally, due to the rise of AI-generated content, algorithms are growing more vigilant. Platforms are investing in detection systems designed to distinguish between valuable, human-led content and lower-quality, AI-generated material. Transparency and proof of human involvement (testimonials, behind-the-scenes footage, live demos) are acting as visibility boosters.

Creativity through simplicity, consistency, and human-led content

Sophisticated visual content and complex editing are no longer key indicators of creativity on social media in 2026. The new requirements are threefold: content needs to be simple, human-led, and published consistently.

Nowadays, users expect proof, not slogans. Telling a story through customer testimonials, showing behind-the-scenes footage of a process, and sharing a real-life case study is much more effective than traditional advertising. There is also a strong demand for serialised content. This approach allows brands to create regular touchpoints with their audiences via weekly videos, monthly slideshows, or quarterly live streams, for example.

Advertising and performance: the rise of native formats

When it comes to advertising, brands tend to favour seamless integration. The best-performing campaigns are increasingly similar to organic content: direct-to-camera segments, product demos, user testimonials. Brands are betting on modular content, composed of several layers (hook, proof, call-to-action), which can be adapted depending on the target audience.

Metrics are also changing drastically. With the disappearance of cookies, advertisers rely on incremental testing, simplified modelling, and experimentation to understand what really works. It is no longer just about counting clicks, but about measuring the true impact on retention and conversion.

Communities and direct relationships: entering the DM-first era

In 2026, private conversations play a central role. In customer support, business exchanges, or loyalty building, DMs (or “direct messages”) are becoming a full-blown channel. Brands are investing in dedicated teams – sometimes AI-augmented – to answer quickly and personalise the customer relationship.

Micro-communities are also booming. Hosted on platforms such as WhatsApp, Discord, or Slack, they foster exchanges in a more limited and engaging setting. Brands are starting to see them as a dedicated space to create a sense of closeness and build loyalty.

To conclude: in 2026, trust and value will be kings

2026 will not be about producing more, but rather better content. Social platforms are now refocusing on a basic principle: delivering value and building trust. The brands that succeed will be the ones that prioritise authentic, educational content that feels closer and more relatable to audiences, while using AI as an amplification tool rather than a mere crutch.

The months ahead will be crucial for those looking to adapt. They will need to simplify their formats, optimise for in-app search, invest in private exchanges and build trust through transparency. Less noise, more connection will be the defining trends of 2026.

Keen to stay ahead of the curve and boost your visibility on social media? Get in touch with our team of experts at OneChocolate for advice on your social strategy and campaign execution 😊.

Camille Clanché