Dodging the Algorithm

When you talk to anycontent creator abouttheir thoughts aboutsocial media, you finda lot of angst. The ‘algorithm’comes up as the reason inmany of those conversations.What does it want? What is thealgorithm currently pushing?What is out? Is it just me or is itthe algorithm?So what did the contentlandscape look like in 2024, andwhich formats worked best andon what platforms? Here is a look.

One of the mostpopular content formats in2024. Think of a heart-to-heartconversation you normally havewith a friend but instead, youshare it with the internet. Thetone remains the same: “SoI was at this party and guesswho was there?” The internetbecomes your bestie. By tellingthe internet this story, you ignitea larger discussion on a broaderlevel. Is it right for someone toask you out on a date and notinclude food in the plan? Is itokay for a brand to use yourcontent without paying usagerights? Is it normal for friends toexpect a financial contributionat their wedding? Platforms: X,Threads, TikTok and Instagram.

In 2024, it was not enough tocook a recipe in your kitchen.You had to give it the ‘personalchef’ angle to be engaging. Theformat gained popularity whenreal-life personal chefs beganto document how they executedelaborate meals for their affluentclients. This content has anaspirational value attached toit; people watch it to see howcomplicated the meals get. Theywatch pasta made from scratchor freshly picked plums from ahome garden turned into a freshpie. The format quickly caughton with people who used thehook: “Watch me prepare mymeals as a personal chef for myparents.” Suddenly, everyonebecame a personal chef to justabout anyone. Friends, husbandsand even people living on theirown. The format allowed thecontent creators to showcasemore of their lives, their thoughtprocess behind deciding on amenu, cooking mishaps and acommentary about their day.Platforms: Instagram and TikTok.

People-watching is not justan internet thing. However, socialmedia, with its edits, narrativebuilding and stylising, has takenit to a different level. This is whydaily vlogs by people like CaseyNiestat, Lilly Singh and othershave garnered an enthusiasticfollowing. However, rather than talkabout their 9-to-5 lives, vloggersnow talk about what happens afterthey come home. Do they go to thegym? Cook a meal? Do a skincareregime? Read? Platforms:Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

When Instagramstarted to make frequentalgorithmic changes, posts aboutbooks (or ‘bookstagrams’) werethe first content format sacrificed,and content creators who hadgarnered a following becauseof their book reviews foundthemselves scrambling to savetheir engagement levels. However,TikTok brought the interest backto book reviews, with contentcreators holding up books andtalking about how they impactedthem. There were memes ofwives ignoring their husbandsbecause they were so engrossedin reading. This format quicklyhad people talking about booksagain. Hence ‘booktoks’. Platforms:TikTok (mainly) and Instagram.

Social media content is work. Itused to be fun, but now there areso many factors to consider. Theformat, the time, the caption, thelighting, the equipment… Wheredo you find the resources to doall this? On Instagram, ‘inspo’(short for inspiration) contenttells you how to do it, with videosexplaining what hooks to use,how to film yourself using justa phone, how to film yourselfwhile on vacation or how to posewith your partner. Then thereare social media strategistsexplaining the kind of editingtools to use and photographersproviding colour-grading tips.Platforms: Instagram and TikTok.

An emphasis on how to makecontent look as real and uneditedas possible. This year, we sawunedited behind-the-scenes (BTS)videos performing well in terms ofsocial media numbers. Ultimately,it merged with the concept ofmemes – content that is relatableand humorous. This format sawthe fastest growth for any socialmedia account. Platforms:Y ouTubeShorts, Instagram and TikTok.

2024 was theyear of the podcast for bothexisting and new content creators.Although earlier, we thought thatonly short and snappy content gotpeople hooked, podcasts provedthat there is a huge numberof people who prefer deeperconversations. This format gainedsubstantial ad-sharing revenue onYouTube because of the platform’sability to handle long-durationformats. Platforms: YouTube(primarily) and Instagram/TikTokfor short snippets.

In previous years, contentwas mainly geared towards foodand fashion. In 2024, the topicsincluded sustainable consumption,career advice and navigating life’schallenges. In terms of platforms,although Instagram, TikTok andYouTube will continue to takethe lead – LinkedIn and Threadsare finding their own crowd.Coincidentally, both platformsdraw in people interested intalking about their professionalachievements, industry bestpractices, tips and case studies.LinkedIn still has a more formaloutlook and Threads emulatesthe vibe of a conversation youhave with your peers. It is worthmentioning that Facebook is slowlyreturning to the organic tractionit had before it sacrificed this infavour of pushing paid ads.It will be interesting to see whatcontent formats and platforms willdominate in 2025 and if Instagramwill finally give its algorithms arest or continue to shake thingsup. One thing is clear: contentcreators are invested and so areaudiences. What happens next?Subscribe to find out.

Riffat Rashid is a content creator fordigital food content platforms,GirlGottaEat and Hungry in Karachi.She runs Hot Beverage, a marketingand content creation company.girlgottaeat17@gmail.com