In the past few years, we’ve seen the rise of the niche, interest-oriented social platform. From running to reading and nearly everything in between, there’s a social platform out there for it. Looking ahead to 2026, this trend is only going to intensify, and that’s going to impact communicators big time.
As I look at my own personal social media use, I find myself exhausted with the content being pushed to me. It’s no longer posts from my close friends who live far away, family I don’t get to see often or brands I’m genuinely interested in. Instead, it’s filled with rage bait, random influencer posts and stuff I have no idea how it ended up on my algorithm.
Like many others, I was skeptical of the smaller, one-off platforms coming on the scene. I am now seeing their relevance and value as a user. I genuinely enjoy the time I spend on apps like Strava, rather than feeling like I’m wasting my time on another endless Facebook scroll (but who am I kidding, I still do it). I see posts from people I care about and get suggestions and ideas that align with my interests, rather than random AI slop or confusing reels.
While this is my personal experience, I think it’s indicative of a larger societal shift that is going to significantly impact how we communicate with our audiences on social. How that impact plays out remains to be seen, but here are my predictions for 2026:
- Researching and testing out new platforms is more important than ever. As audiences shift, companies need to shift with them.
- Continuing to be intentional and selective with targeting to make sure your organization or brand isn’t the one causing frustration or fatigue.
- Finding alternative communications platforms to engage with audiences who care. Emails and websites are critical if less people are engaged on social.
- Utilizing influencers, challenges and collaborations to show up in a space without having to continuously maintain it.
Meta, LinkedIn, X and TikTok will continue to dominate in 2026, but as communicators we owe it to our clients to offer strategic, fresh ideas, and we owe it to our audiences to meet them in the most engaging and relevant way possible. These interest-oriented platforms are on their way to becoming another critical piece of our toolbox and we want to make sure we’re ahead of the curve.
Amber Garnett is a senior digital manager at Stratacomm who has a love/hate relationship with social media. Her current favorite interest-oriented platforms are Fable, Strava and Beli.
