5 social media myths that need debunking in 2025
These social media myths and misconceptions could be holding you back
Social media is a vast, ever-evolving beast - with different rules for different platforms, it’s no wonder we’re all confused and following a slightly different set of rules.
Keep reading for the top 5 social media myths that are confirmed ‘fake news’ and could be hindering your marketing efforts.
Myth #1
Followers are the main measure of success
An account that has more followers is not automatically a more successful business. It’s far more advantageous to have a smaller, more engaged audience than a larger, passive one.
Focus less on growing your followers and more on creating quality content that speaks to your community online and sparks natural engagement.
Myth #2
If a post is performing well, posting again will stop its growth
Simply not true. If a post is over-performing on your account, you do not need to “let it breathe”. Posting again will not impact the growth of that post.
If it’s shareable, relatable content that is getting great engagement, it will continue to grow organically and reach new audiences regardless of whether you’ve posted since.
Myth #3
I need more followers than the number of people I follow
Absolutely not. This is a classic vanity metric that does not reflect your success on social media whatsoever, and is a very old school way of thinking.
If you have 1,000 followers but you follow 2,000 accounts, it does not matter.
Myth #4
I need to be on all social media platforms
Not true. It’s important to consider where your target audience hangs out online.
Are they in Facebook community groups, scrolling on TikTok, browsing Pinterest boards, or watching long-form on YouTube?
It’s far better to choose one or two platforms where you can commit to posting regularly, than posting content in 8 different places and burning yourself out creatively.
Myth #5
You should use lots of hashtags on Instagram
This would’ve been the advice a few years ago, but Instagram has since evolved and now focuses on keywords within your captions and text in videos to categorise your content.
Early in 2025, when asked about hashtags, the CEO of Instagram Adem Mosseri said “they don’t work” which is a pretty clear message to users that hashtags are redundant on Instagram now.
I’ve covered the hashtag debate in a lot more detail over on an Instagram post.
Follow @sennencreative on Instagram for plenty more social media updates and tips.
