Social Media: Where Are We Now?
The platform landscape looks quite different from 2023. WhatsApp, YouTube, and Facebook still lead. But the challengers have surged, demographics have shifted, and the way people actually use these platforms has fundamentally changed.
- Facebook: 3.83 million users (73.5% of the population). Strongest daily engagement among the 55–64 age group.
- Instagram: 2.74 million users (52.5%), with daily usage at 72%, particularly strong among 18-34-year-olds.
- LinkedIn: approximately 3.93 million users (75.4%). Now acting as a content and community platform, not just a recruitment tool.
- TikTok: 2.16 million users aged 18+ as of early 2025. 65% of Gen Z engage weekly. That’s 192% above the general population index.
- Globally, there are now 5.79 billion social media users worldwide.
The key shift: Younger Irish users are spending less time on social, not more. People want to be online less, but still expect to discover, buy and connect there. Brands that respect that will earn more attention than those that simply demand it.
The 6 Big Trends Shaping 2026
1. Generative AI: from experiment to operating system
In 2023, ChatGPT was a party trick that made headlines. Now AI is simply how marketing teams function. Daily GenAI usage in Ireland has jumped from 2% in 2023 to 11% in 2025, and 64% of Irish adults now actively use GenAI tools. Globally, 94% of marketers are using AI in their work.
Agentic AI is becoming the standard for larger marketing departments. Teams are shifting from doing to directing.
But here’s the tension: Nearly a third of consumers say they are less likely to choose a brand that uses obviously AI-generated advertising. Authenticity has become the premium that AI cannot manufacture. The brands winning in 2026 use AI for speed and scale. Keeping humans in charge of voice, strategy and storytelling is essential.
2. Short-form video: still reigning, now maturing
Short-form vertical video (under 60 seconds) retains 87% of viewers and generates 1.7x more engagement than longer content. TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are no longer the exciting new thing. They’re the default content format.
What’s changed: The bar has risen. One-off clips are being replaced by serialised content like brands creating mini ‘shows’ with recurring formats, characters and hooks. TikTok Shop launched in Ireland in December 2024, collapsing the customer journey from discovery to purchase into a single scroll session. Irish businesses reported a 190% sales uplift during Black Friday 2025.
3. Social commerce: a $100 billion market
Social commerce has crossed $100 billion in global annual sales in 2026. TikTok Shop alone is projected at $23.4 billion. Over half of US social media users now make purchases directly within TikTok. In Ireland, social platforms are no longer just awareness channels. They’re transaction channels too. Frictionless in-app checkout has made conversion near-instant, which means the pressure to communicate product value in the opening seconds of content has never been higher.
4. Social as search
For audiences aged 16-34, social networks are now the primary channel for online brand research. Social scrolling has overtaken traditional text-based search as the main discovery engine for younger adults.
AI chatbots are also a growing traffic source. 37% of consumers now start searches in tools like ChatGPT or Gemini. Traffic from AI search converts better than organic Google traffic. Brands that create comprehensive, structured content are being cited by AI tools and benefiting from high-quality referral visits.
‘Social SEO’ – writing captions, hooks, and video descriptions to be discoverable inside apps – is now a core skill, not a nice-to-have.
5. The authenticity premium and the rise of the micro-creator
Follower counts are no longer a reliable indicator of influence. Brands are moving from one-off influencer posts to ongoing creator partnerships anchored in storytelling quality and audience alignment.
Micro-creators and employee advocates are outperforming celebrity names in many categories. Audiences trust people more than polished brand accounts. They trust employees more than CEOs or influencers too. Social teams stepping in front of the camera is one of the highest-ROI moves available to brands right now.
6. Community over broadcast
Private communities, DMs, and niche channels like Discord, Reddit or Substack are growing as people seek smaller, safer, more focused spaces. Public follower counts matter less than the health of a brand’s actual community. Things like comment quality and DM volume really speak volumes.
For Irish brands, this represents a genuine opportunity. A tightly curated community of 2,000 engaged followers who buy is worth far more than 50,000 passive scrollers.
Special mention: The GenAI workforce gap
83% of Gen Z in Ireland say they’ve used GenAI tools, compared to 57% of Gen X. 46% of Irish people now work in organisations that actively encourage AI use. That’s nearly double the 2024 figure, but a clear skills divide is forming.
68% believe GenAI will reduce job numbers, but most expect role redesign rather than outright replacement. The real competitive advantage in the years ahead is AI fluency, not AI replacement. Brands and agencies that upskill their teams now will be the ones directing the machines in 2027.
The digital world in 2026 isn’t asking brands to do more. It’s asking them to be more intentional about what they do. AI handles the volume. What it can’t replicate is point of view, community trust and cultural relevance. Those still have to come from you.
Get in touch with Neworld to explore your brand’s potential in the online world.
Our Sources
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DataReportal, Digital 2026: Ireland: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-ireland
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Central Statistics Office (CSO), Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2025: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-isshict/internetcoverageandusageinireland2025/keyfindings/
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Central Statistics Office (CSO), Household Digital Consumer Behaviour 2025: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-isshdcb/householddigitalconsumerbehaviour2025/internetactivities/
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Deloitte, Digital Consumer Trends 2026 (Ireland): https://www.deloitte.com/ie/en/issues/tmt/digital-consumer-trends.html
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Deloitte, press release on screen time and digital fatigue findings: https://www.deloitte.com/ie/en/about/press-room/ireland-sets-screen-time-limits.html
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NapoleonCat, Social Media Users in Ireland 2026: https://stats.napoleoncat.com/social-media-users-in-ireland/2026/
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DigiWizard.ie, 5 Social Media Platforms Ireland 2026: https://digiwizard.ie/digital-marketing/5-social-media-platforms-ireland/
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Hootsuite, Social Media Trends 2026: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-trends/
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Hootsuite, social media statistics roundup: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-statistics/
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PostEverywhere, 15 Social Media Trends for 2026: https://posteverywhere.ai/blog/social-media-trends-2026
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PostEverywhere, 150+ Social Media Statistics for 2026: https://posteverywhere.ai/blog/social-media-statistics
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European Commission, DESI Ireland country profile: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/desi-ireland
