The State of Social Media in 2026 with Andréa Jones

Social media in 2026 is definitely not the same as before 2020—and not even the same as it was last year. And for our “Aggressively Human” take on how social fits in your marketing stack, we’re bringing on our favorite Mindful Marketing mentor and return guest Andréa Jones.In this episode, we’re talking about what’s actually happening on social platforms in 2026, especially for expertise-led businesses that don’t want to become full-time media companies.We talk about the TikTok effect, discovery-driven algorithms, and why entertainment now beats education on most feeds. Andréa shares how she thinks about social media today, how she uses it in her own business, and where it fits alongside other channels like podcasts, newsletters, websites, and SEO. We also talk about why viral content often fails to translate into clients, and how people really decide who to hire.This episode is an honest discussion at where social media sits now in a broader marketing mix—and what expectations make sense to have if you’re still showing up there.* Why social media feels louder, faster, and less useful than it used to* The “TikTok effect” and how it changed every platform* Discovery algorithms vs. follower-based feeds* Why entertainment content outperforms educational content* How engagement has declined across most platforms (and what that means)* Why viral posts often don’t translate into revenue* What Andrea puts in place before social media matters* The role of podcasts, newsletters, websites, and SEO* Local vs. national businesses and how discovery actually works* Why repetition builds trust (for humans and AI)“It takes a lot more effort for someone to leave that video or leave that post and go somewhere else to then do something else, like sign up for a newsletter or purchase something. So that sales cycle has gotten astronomically longer. And so I'm not saying social media isn't important. Especially for me, it's a great networking tool. However, it's not, and as far as the hierarchy goes, it's just not as important as other marketing assets. And so I had to shift the way that I think about that.” -AndréaAbout our GuestWebsiteOnlineDrea on InstagramMindful Marketing PodcastConnect with UsListen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsMeg CaseboltJessica Lackey This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aggressivelyhuman.substack.com