# 2026 social trends: the live recap
> Canonical: https://skedsocial.com/resources/2026-social-trends-webinar  
> Last updated: 2026-03-01
Our live Q1 recap: what worked, what flopped, and what's about to hit everyone's feeds next.
A live 45-minute teardown of 2026's first-quarter social landscape. What actually moved the needle for growing brands, what the big agencies spent budget learning, and which formats are likely to dominate the next two quarters.

## What worked in Q1

Vertical video formats held their ground. Brand-specific AI voice training stopped feeling optional. Community-led growth outperformed paid acquisition in three of the five verticals we tracked.

## What flopped

Generic AI-generated imagery tanked engagement across every vertical. 'Inspirational' brand posting with no product tie-in continued its downward run. Longer-form LinkedIn posts beat carousels for B2B.

## What's next

Pre-production approvals are moving from 'nice to have' to 'how do you ship without this?'. Instagram's Story-with-link-stickers API is quietly becoming the highest-converting organic channel. And AI-written insight commentary is rapidly moving from 'neat' to 'the only way your CMO opens the report.'

## Full recording

Watch the full 45-minute replay via the link in the resource description above. Q&A included.