By MJ Behrman, Head of Marketing and Customer Lifecycle at Designit
Rumours of TikTok’s potential buyer continue to swirl. Trump himself has called for a bidding war, with Microsoft, billionaire Frank McCourt, and Mr Beast supposedly in the running to purchase the social platform.
This hearsay is causing a stir in the marketing world, where conversations have turned to what the future may hold. After all, TikTok is one of the most influential social platforms, redefining digital culture, marketing strategies and consumer engagement. For brands, influencers and marketers, the uncertainty around TikTok’s future in the U.S. is a timely reminder of how volatile the social media landscape is, and it raises the question: Are social media platforms still a viable marketing tool in your arsenal? And can brands prepare for future disruption?
A Symptom of a Bigger Problem?
TikTok’s uncertainty isn’t an isolated issue, it’s part of a much larger reckoning facing social media. Governments worldwide are ramping up scrutiny on platforms over data privacy, security risks and are clamping down on the spread of misinformation. Governments push for stricter regulations, while tech giants like Meta weaken content moderation, highlighting a growing disconnect in the industry. All of which are fuelling user uncertainty.
While governments warn of social media’s role in amplifying fake news, they simultaneously depend on these very platforms to disseminate their key messaging. Due to the wide usage of social media, these platforms are central to how information is spread. With different governments taking different approaches, the regulatory landscape remains fragmented. This inconsistency further highlights the growing instability of the digital landscape, leaving brands, users and even governments navigating a space where truth and trust are increasingly uncertain.
Growing Volatility
The uncertainty of social media isn’t just driven by regulation, it’s embedded in the platforms themselves. Social media is an unpredictable landscape, created through algorithm changes, ownership shifts and evolving content policies. Everyone has to constantly adapt. Elon Musk changing Twitter to X, Meta’s tweaks to engagement metrics, and TikTok’s uncertain future demonstrate social platforms’ fragility as stable digital spaces.
For users, this may prompt them to move to other platforms where they can actually find the content they want, or may change how they interact with content as they come to terms with yet another set of rules. For brands however, there is the greater challenge of adapting marketing strategies almost overnight, in order to comply with new algorithms (and avoid getting lost in the saturation!).
However, these changes should be less about panic and more about preparation. Diversifying platforms and staying flexible with your content strategy ensures you’re not caught off guard when changes happen. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, forcing brands to constantly adapt to this unpredictable dynamic ensures their strategy remains front of mind, and they never take their social media presence for granted.
What happens if these platforms disappear?
TikTok may have avoided the chopping block on this occasion, but we have seen platforms disappear before. Twitter suddenly shut down Vine in 2017 due to financial difficulties and lack of profitability, creating a historic moment for social media culture. It forced its 200 million active users to go elsewhere, where they had to learn a whole new platform, and for creators and brands – how to navigate and cut through a new algorithm. Many went to YouTube, or the then-emerging TikTok. This migration pattern repeated with Twitter’s transformation into X, pushing users toward alternatives like Threads. So, as uncertainty continues to grow today, it’s not a shock X users went to Bluesky, or TikTok users fled to RedNote, when concern became very real.
The turmoil in recent years, and overall social media uncertainty highlights the importance of not putting your eggs into one social basket – not just to manage risks like bans but to adapt to a constantly evolving ecosystem, from Meta’s policy changes to the rise of new platforms like Bluesky and RedNote. Where brands choose to migrate must be considered carefully, and brands must understand their audience, as social media is where people form habits, build connections, and find entertainment. Brands need to consider how their actions affect reputation, privacy, and trust alongside their broader marketing goals when dealing with social uncertainty.
The Dilemma: Should businesses/brands still invest in social media?
With the growing uncertainty, brands are faced with a major question – is social media still worth the investment? On one hand, social media platforms remain vital tools for engagement with consumers, generating and increasing brand awareness, and direct to consumer marketing. Social commerce, for example, is on the rise, with live shopping becoming an increasingly popular way for brands and creators to engage with consumers and drive real-time sales in an interactive way. During the TikTok ban weekend, live shopping platform ‘Whatnot’ recorded its biggest weekend yet for new seller sign-ups, demonstrating how this is a huge revenue stream for some creators, and the importance of platforms offering this experience.
Additionally, Instagram and TikTok especially offer vast reach, allowing small businesses to reach users on the other side of the world, which otherwise would not be possible. Social media algorithms also push videos doing well onto more and more pages, allowing content to become viral. Brands can also have fun on social media, jumping on trends to align with consumers’ interests.
However, the challenges cannot be ignored. Platforms can change overnight, as we’ve already seen, with algorithms deprioritising content which used to perform well and changes to ad models. Relying too heavily on any single platform isn’t wise, and this is why diversification is essential. Businesses must plan in advance how to tackle this disruptive environment, ensuring their social media strategy is balanced alongside their owned assets like email marketing and websites.
So, is the golden age of social media coming to an end? Its long-term stability is definitely in question, with algorithm unpredictability, regulatory crackdowns and shifting user behaviours. Instead, we could see heightened use of niche platforms, like Whatsapp groups with brands, or decentralised networks like Bluesky.
For brands though, the key takeaway is clear: While social media of course remains valuable, brands must future proof their digital presence by spreading their efforts across multiple channels. It’s an opportunity to experiment and stay adaptable. Social media’s volatility isn’t going away, but brands that move with it will reap the benefits.
The convergence of tech and brands 