The state of social media in 2025

Social media professionals recently gathered for the Social Media Outlook 2025 breakfast, part of the Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit’s Breakfast Series, to discuss emerging trends and platform-specific strategies.

The panel featured prominent DC-area social media experts including Gina Florence, Director of Corporate Social Media at Charles Schwab; Paige Hopkins, Social Host at Axios; Joseph Ferguson, TikTok Host and Producer at The Washington Post; and Avery Whitehead, Former Deputy Director of Platforms at The White House under the Biden-Harris Administration.

During the discussion, LinkedIn emerged as what panelists termed “the friendly platform,” positioning it as the optimal channel for executive thought leadership and professional content. Panelists noted that LinkedIn content performs best when combining traditional thought leadership with “human moments” that add personality, particularly when amplified through employee sharing.

In contrast, Facebook received a more complicated assessment. Described by one panelist as “the place you don’t want to be, but you have to be there,” the platform’s massive user base makes it impossible to ignore despite its challenges. Panelists advised that organizations must “confront reality” regarding Facebook’s continued relevance in reaching large audiences.

The experts offered several strategic recommendations for communications professionals:

• When evaluating new platforms and trends, selective experimentation is more valuable than attempting to maintain presence everywhere. Panelists emphasized that strategic focus with strong content consistently outperforms scattered presence across multiple platforms.
• On the topic of platform controversies, panelists cautioned against hasty exits. They noted that leaving platforms such as X due to perceived bias only removes balanced perspectives while strengthening voices that remain, potentially creating more problematic echo chambers.
• The panel highlighted comment sections as underutilized strategic assets. Beyond simply moderating discussions, communications professionals were advised to analyze comment patterns to guide future content development and identify potential micro-influencers there, already aligned with organizational messaging.
• Washington Post’s Joseph Ferguson emphasized that amid social media’s constant evolution, email databases are “worth their weight in gold” due to organizational control for use in e-newsletters and other communications.