2025 the year of digital doubles: 5 key social media insights

Source: © 123rf 123rf The South African Social Media Landscape Report 2025 explores how people in South Africa are using social media

This is according to the South African Social Media Landscape Report 2025, which explores how people in South Africa are using social media, where attention is moving, and how brands are adapting.

The research points to two main issues: the rise of bots and misinformation that erode trust, and the growing need for brands to engage audiences in authentic ways.

5 key insights

Here are five key insights from the report. These cover platform shifts, how measurement is changing, the divide in budgets, the role of AI, and the rise of communities.

TikTok is no longer “just for fun”

If your brand isn’t already building on TikTok, you’re likely missing the most engaged audience in the country.


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Points to take note of:

- 47% of brands now use TikTok as part of their strategy.
- Daily active use jumped from 16.1% in 2023 to 23.1% in 2024, bringing its total daily/weekly reach to 32.4%.
- For younger audiences, TikTok has become the primary space for discovery, trends, and interaction with brands.

Facebook still leads, but the cracks are showing

Facebook is still essential for reach, but it no longer commands the daily attention it once did.

Facebook remains South Africa’s biggest platform by total users, but its role in daily life continues to fade.


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Points to take note of:

- Daily users slipped again, now at 39.0%, down from 40.2% in 2023.
- Weekly active users also declined, from 13.7% to 12.1%.
- Longer-term activity (14-day and monthly use) shows similar small dips.

Arthur Goldstuck calls this a “soft but steady decline” - evidence that Facebook is still widespread, but no longer as central to daily routines.

Beyond clicks: engagement and authenticity matter most

Trust is emerging as the ultimate performance metric in the social media age.

In 2025, marketers are rethinking how they measure success.



Points to take note of:

- Traditional KPIs like likes, shares, and click-throughs are regaining importance as indicators of real engagement.
- Leads and revenue-based KPIs are declining, especially on platforms like TikTok and X.
- Sentiment analysis is gaining ground as brands look to track tone, trust, and authenticity rather than just numbers.

The trend is clear: in an environment of bots, fake accounts, and manipulated narratives, audiences demand genuine interaction.

Small spenders, big spenders - and AI in the middle

Whether budgets are small or large, AI is reshaping how every brand approaches social media.

South African brands are splitting into two distinct groups when it comes to social media investment.- 53% spend under R10,000 per month on social media.


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Points to take note of:

- At the other end, 23% spend over R50,000 monthly, showing a growing gap in how seriously brands commit to digital.
- Meanwhile, AI is levelling the playing field. 84% of companies are now using ChatGPT for content creation, and 78% are experimenting with AI search and chat tools.

This mix of cautious spenders and heavy investors highlights a market in transition — but across the board, AI is becoming a standard part of the toolkit.


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From followers to communities

Communities are emerging as the real trust builders of the social media era.

In a year marked by platform shifts and AI adoption, the strongest growth is happening in communities.


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Points to take note of:

- 48% of brands now participate in online communities — the highest figure on record.
- In contrast, use of live event platforms has dropped to 43%, down from 2024.
- Communities offer what audiences increasingly want: connection, relevance, and trust.

The data suggests brands are moving from simply broadcasting messages to building spaces where people gather and engage with each other.

Download the free executive summary here.

More on the Report here.