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The Media Landscape of 2025: Social Media’s Rise and TV’s Decline in Influence

November 25, 2024

The Media Landscape of 2025: Social Media’s Rise and TV’s Decline in Influence

By 2025, according to eMarketer, social media’s influence will outpace TV in shaping public discourse—a slow but sure shift in media power. Linear TV, once the dominant medium, is projected to lose another 1.5% of its U.S. viewers next year. To its credit, despite shrinking audience share, TV still commands more daily viewing time—U.S. adults are expected to spend an average of two hours and 49 minutes daily watching linear TV, compared to 53 minutes on social video and 37 minutes on YouTube. Social media, however, has emerged as the real driver of influence, particularly in political discourse, where it is now shaping conversations more directly and powerfully than ever before.

TV’s Declining Cultural Authority

While traditional TV still reaches a large audience, its influence over the national conversation has undoubtedly diminished. For decades, TV was the collective source of knowledge and authority, but today, much of this conversation has moved to social media, where content is more diverse, immediate, and interactive. Social platforms, with their focus on relatability and authenticity, engage audiences in ways that TV can’t, especially among younger viewers who now see social media as their primary source for news and opinions.

Even though older demographics still tune into TV, the medium often amplifies rather than originates conversations, playing catch-up to narratives already unfolding online. This cultural shift is a sign of TV’s decline in influence, as social media takes the lead in shaping public perception and discourse. The shift in influence is crystal clear in content. (In advertising MMM’s still confirm tv’s dominance, but as more social campaigns are being measured, that too might change.)

Social Media: The New Power Broker

As TV’s influence fades, social media has surged forward as the primary venue for cultural influence and political discourse. One of the best examples is the recent US election.

Influencers like Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper, Adin Ross, and Charli XCX are emblematic of this shift, each amassing large, engaged followings that rival TV audiences and engaging in ways traditional media cannot replicate. These creators have become the new “establishment” voices, offering opinions and shaping narratives with speed and reach that legacy media struggles to match.

The 2024 U.S. election underscored social media’s power. While TV networks covered debates and speeches, the most influential commentary often unfolded on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Young voters, especially Gen Z, were drawn to influencers who shared their values and concerns, rather than traditional media personalities. (And this shift was particularly clear in voting trends: The Wall Street Journal reported that both Gen Z and Gen X leaned toward Trump, despite the “Brat Summer” movement, initially seen as progressive, gaining popularity online. Social media’s broad reach allowed for diverse voices and perspectives, shifting voting outcomes in ways that traditional media failed to capture. It further proves that social media doesn’t just shape perceptions—it influences political behavior.)

The Hollywood Reporter dubbed 2024 the first “influencer election,” with both campaigns strategically using social media influencers to connect with voters. Trump’s team focused on long-form content with figures like Joe Rogan and Adin Ross, fostering close, personal connections. This approach generated viral moments and built deep, parasocial bonds that traditional TV struggled to replicate. In contrast, Kamala Harris’s campaign engaged influencers like Alex Cooper and Charlie XCX but focused on short-form, viral content. Both campaigns demonstrate how social media influencers do more than simply amplify messages—they actively shape them, building a level of audience trust that traditional media rarely matches. This approach highlights a massive shift in media influence, one that traditional television struggles to replicate.

One thing that is important to note, the impact on TV ratings is striking: "Primetime coverage of the presidential election averaged 42.29 million viewers,a 26 percent decline from four years ago. This was on television, the least watched election night in recent history.

What Marketers Need to Understand in 2025

As social media’s influence continues to grow, marketers need to rethink their strategies. While TV remains valuable for certain demographics, it is no longer the dominant driver of influence. Social media, with its capacity for genuine engagement and direct connection, has become the true powerhouse.

Marketers should adapt their tools and models to account for this shift. Traditional marketing mix models (MMMs), while useful for measuring past performance, need to evolve to capture the impact of social media. Today, measuring influence means looking beyond reach to understand how influencers, brand ambassadors, and social platforms drive engagement, sentiment, and brand loyalty. A data-driven approach that incorporates newer channels and real-time feedback is essential for staying relevant.

As eMarketer notes, the media landscape is transforming, and marketing strategies must evolve in response. Marketers should let go of channels that no longer serve their goals and invest in platforms that drive meaningful influence. While TV may still command time spent, social media now leads the conversation—this is where marketers should focus to remain competitive and impactful in a rapidly shifting media environment.

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