SMK’s Social Media Trends Labs are monthly 📅 FREE events for marketing communications professionals, agencies, not-for-profits and brands looking to stay at the forefront of digital disruption and marketing innovation.

Social Media Trends Labs delve into the latest data 📊 and performance insights from the major social networks, unpicking platform and behavioural trends and identifying underexploited marketing and communications opportunities.

This 2026 Social Media Trends Lab explored 🧠 the key themes for this year, examining everything from generative AI to content marketing, advertising performance, influencer marketing, online video, analytics and more.

1. What are the best new opportunities in Instagram, Facebook, ChatGPT, LinkedIn, YouTube & TikTok? 🤔
2. Beyond the hype, how are marketers really leveraging AI? 🤖
3. How is Google redefining online discovery with its new AI Mode? 🥵
4. Why is Gen Z turning away from Search and favouring social media? 🔎
5. How are Mark Zuckerberg’s BIG plans for generative AI coming to life in Meta? 😱
6. Why will website traffic plummet for many in 2026? 🥹
7. How is agentic AI transforming how marcomms teams are hiring?🤔
8. What have been the key changes in social media algorithm ranking signals🎬
9. Why are most marketing and comms teams struggling with AI rollouts? 😭
10. How and where will digital marketing budgets get cut in 2026? 🎯

SMK’s Social Media Trends Labs are facilitated by SMK’s Executive Director of Programming, James Fitzgerald.

✔ Connect with James on LinkedIn here: https://bit.ly/36VZtez

James is a highly experienced digital marketing educator and analyst, having trained tens of thousands of senior decision-makers from the world’s largest organisations, brands and agencies.