5 Digital & Social Trends That Will Define Summer 2025

By Jen Boyles, Founder, JBD.Agency

Digital trends move faster than your feed on a Monday morning. Dare to blink and suddenly TikTok’s a search engine, Instagram’s trying to be LinkedIn, and your Gen Z intern is rolling their eyes because you said “hashtag” again.

As we roll into summer, here are the five digital and social trends we’re watching. Welcome to summer 2025. It’s weird, it’s loud, and algorithm-optimized.

1. TikTok as Google’s Cooler, Messier Cousin

Gone are the days of typing into search bars. Now? People are asking TikTok where to eat, what to wear, and how to feel about oat milk. Gen Z is treating TikTok like a search engine, and it’s working. Brands who show up there with real info (not just vibey B-roll) are winning.

Hot take: If your brand isn’t showing up in TikTok’s search results, you basically don’t exist to an entire generation.

2. Instagram is Having an Identity Crisis (Again)

Let’s call it what it is: Instagram is in a midlife spiral. It wants to be TikTok. It also wants to be your resume. And a storefront. And a place for memes. What does this mean for brands? Carousel posts are still gold, Reels are still key, but the game is consistency + value. No one cares about your “aesthetic” if you’re not saying anything.

Strategy tip: Choose a POV and stick to it. Fence-sitting brands get ignored.

3. AI-Generated Everything… and Everyone’s Faking It

Yes, AI is doing a lot of the heavy lifting—from captions to campaign concepts. But here’s the plot twist: audiences can tell. What they crave? The human hand. We’re seeing a major swing toward raw, off-the-cuff, voice-first content (hello, lo-fi voiceovers).

Bottom line: AI can always tell you the what, but it can’t always nail the WHY. Use AI to support, not replace, the soul of your brand. People still want to buy from people—even if a bot helped brainstorm the headline.

4. Niche is the New Viral

Going viral is cute. Building a loyal, weird, obsessed micro-audience? That’s power. Whether it’s luxury DTC brands on Discord or moms who game on Twitch, summer 2025 belongs to the niches. Go deep, not wide.

Translation: Be real about who your people are—and talk directly to them. Not “everyone.”

5. Community > Audience

Social media isn't a billboard anymore—it’s a dinner party. Comment sections are the new focus groups, and DMs are where conversions actually happen. People don’t want to be marketed at. They want to be in on something.

Your move: Create content that invites conversation. Don’t just “post”—host.

Final thought:

The digital landscape this summer is about clarity, guts, and actual connection. The brands that will win aren’t the ones with the prettiest grids or biggest ad budgets. They’re the ones who know show they who they are— and if we’re being honest, we LOVE that.

—

Ready to talk trends or brand voice?
Let’s connect → JBD.agency/connect