Keeping It Currant: December 2025

Welcome to the latest issue of Keeping It Currant, a newsletter brought to you by Social Currant & Girl and the Gov®. If you’re new here, this monthly inbox drop lives at the intersection of the creator economy and the social impact space, providing the latest need-to-know on how to navigate this rapidly evolving digital space. And since we’re doing introductions, before you scroll, be sure to pop in and say hello in the Social Currant’s Slack channel for creators, here.

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Reports, stats, & data to know in the creator world

→ YouTube’s Culture & Trends Report: If there’s one thing that the team at YouTube likes doing, it’s putting out a report – seriously, they’ve got an entire library of them, which TBH are all worth digging into. But with the close of the year just around the corner, the 2025 Global Culture & Trends Report is the page-topper with insights on what the top podcasts, topics, and songs were on the platform. See who made the lists here.

→ Snapchat Recap 2025: Voice notes and group chats dominated the conversation, literally, on Snapchat according to their year-end trend report. As for the through line, the report illustrated a thesis that “talking” made a comeback this year. Take a read-through of all of the takeaways that don’t disappear after 24 hours, here.

→ Pinterest Predicts 2026: Pantone’s Color of the Year being a bland shade of white contrasts wildly with the 21 trends that Pinterest has on its radar for 2026. Trends range from maximalist ‘Glammorati’ to ‘Poetcore,’ and more. The 21 give a zing and a zest that is sure to find its way to the center of content in the new year. Get the full trend run-down here.

→ Google’s Year in Search 2025: What received the most Googles this year? The Year in Search report provides the 411 broken down by category, spilling the search tea of what was on people’s minds in 2025. Take a scroll through the top searches of the year here.

→ Epidemic Sound’s Future of The Creator Economy Report 2025: The state of play in the creator economy is often a moving target – this report takes a look at where that target is at the moment. From the impact of giving creators creative control to building out direct-to-fan style pages, this report connects dots for both creators and brands/orgs/clients alike. Take the report for a spin here.

Save ‘em, share ‘em

→ For creators focusing on their YouTube presence: YouTube continues to be that girl when it comes to audience, consistently ranking as the top dog of social media platforms. That said, it’s its own beast, and growing on the video-first platforms takes some finesse. This guide shares everything from how to to get your mind around the YouTube algo to how to determine your metrics of success as you post.

→ For those looking to avoid burnout [everyone]: The holiday season can bring burnout to the forefront. This guide from Planoly can help you avoid it – even beyond the last two weeks of the year.

→ For creators wanting to master the TikTok algo: While the TikTok algo always seems to be going through a set of mini makeovers, there are some consistent rules of engagement that help accounts get views, likes, and saves. This refreshed 2026 guide walks-through the classics creators can keep top of mind as they record and post.

→ For orgs and brands working with UGC creators: Successful UGC content depends on multiple factors—from compelling hooks to the visuals that appear in a creator’s video. This guide breaks down those elements and includes practical checklists for organizations and brands before hiring a UGC creator, as well as a shareable checklist for creators once they’re contracted.

The BTS with a creator in social impact

MEET SANDER JENNINGS: Sander Jennings is a content creator and advocate with 1.4 million followers. Sander creates content at the intersection of politics and lifestyle—breaking down societal standards, systems, and policies to show how they impact your body, your rights, and your freedom. Sander is known for leading with love and fighting for equality for all.

How do you get ideas for content? What does this process look like for you?

“I pay attention to what's breaking in the news and ask myself "how does this actually affect people?" My best content comes from connecting headlines to real human impact—like showing how ICE budget increases aren't just numbers, but are connected to children being separated from their parents at carpool lines. I'm constantly thinking about how to make the political, personal.”

What tips would you give to a creator on engaging with their community? What about building a community?

“Lead with empathy and make people feel seen, not lectured. I focus on "this affects YOU" messaging rather than preaching, which helps people understand why they should care about issues beyond their immediate experience. Responding authentically to comments and creating content that invites conversation rather than just broadcasting builds real connection.”

What drew you to the niche that you’re in?

“Growing up, I played three sports and never wanted to commit to just one. I'm the same way with my content today. While as a digital marketer I know strategically it's best to focus on one niche, I love sharing all of myself and my passions. 

Watching my transgender sister navigate a world that constantly tries to legislate her existence made me realize that silence is complicity, and human rights advocacy became non-negotiable. I had a platform and a responsibility to connect the dots between policy and people's daily lives, breaking down societal standards and systems in a way everyone can understand and act on.”

What social media platform do you prefer, and why does it get the #1 spot?

“Facebook gets the #1 spot because as a digital strategist, I've been studying it for three years and learning all about the opportunities for growth and changing monetization strategies. It's a different audience than other platforms, but it's been really fun for growth for both me and the clients I work with.” 

New capabilities loading…

INSTAGRAM → In what feels like a miracle before Christmas, Instagram has unveiled a new feature that gives users the ability to repost any public IG Story to their own Story. The feature expands the uses of Story’s themselves, provides a new engagement opportunity, and may just reduce the amount of requests creators get from followers to “make this story a feed post” so that they can share it.

INSTAGRAM → Social media became TV, and now TV might just become social media with a new feature that Instagram is testing out. The social media platform is experimenting with Instagram for TV, which brings Reels to a larger screen near you. From the creator POV, the possible impacts range from increased pushes toward scripted social series’ to a general need for higher-res, quality content.

TIKTOK → Sharing is caring, or something like that, as told by the TikTok’s two new features – Shared Collections and Shared Feeds. Shared Collections mirror their Instagram counterpart, enabling users that follow each other to create a shared collection of content. The feature is particularly helpful for collaborators and creatives. Shared Feeds are uniquely TikTok-ian in fashion, with those that accept an invitation to a Shared Feed, receiving 15 videos a day that are supposed to be relevant to the group’s mutual interests. While not its intent necessarily, the feature may be helpful to aligned creators that are looking to support one another's content.

YOUTUBE → The platform has rolled out two long overdue features for ads on Shorts, opening the door for creator partnerships to yield more. It’s enabling comments to create a more organic feel, like seen on other platforms firstly. Secondly, YouTube is allowing creators posting branded content to link out directly to the advertisers website. 

SNAPCHAT → What’s a social media platform without its own editing app? That’s a question Snapchat wasn’t willing to chance a wrong answer on, as proven by the launch of the platform’s own editor, Quick Cut. The in-stream video and photo editor is set to enable creators to bring projects to life with music from its loyalty-free library and Lens effects. The shortcut to accessing Quick Cut is through a creator’s, ‘Memories.’

YOUTUBE → Taking a similar but different tact from Snapchat, YouTube has partnered with Adobe Premiere to launch a ‘Creator Hub’ dedicated to helping YouTube Shorts creators make standout content. Essentially an editing suite, the Creator Hub is decked out with all the bells and whistles needed to bring Shorts to live, from templates to transition pre-sets, and beyond. The partnership also allows creators to directly upload their videos from Premiere Mobile to their YouTube page.

SNAPCHAT → What’s a social media platform without its own editing app? That’s a question Snapchat wasn’t willing to chance a wrong answer on, as proven by the launch of the platform’s own editor, Quick Cut. The in-stream video and photo editor is set to enable creators to bring projects to life with music from its loyalty-free library and Lens effects. The shortcut to accessing Quick Cut is through a creator’s, ‘Memories.’

News at a glance from ‘round the creator sphere

Creator-centric openings to go after

→ Pitch yourself for paid campaigns: Getting paid to post about what you care about is a win for you and a win for your audience. And on the Social Currant platform, creators like you are able to connect directly with leading progressive organizations to discuss paid collaboration opportunities. Tl;DR: instead of going down the RocketReach rabbit hole to find the right contact to pitch, you can do it through the Social Currant platform when you join here.

→ Apply to join Abortion Fund of Ohio’s Ambassador Program: Calling all event planning savants in Ohio, the Abortion Fund of Ohio has opened applications for its ambassador program ahead of its annual Fund-a-Thon. Ambassadors will take part in planning fundraising events, receiving training to do so, and more. Apply here by January 9, 2026.

→ Apply for the Narrative Breakthrough Fellowship: The Narrative Breakthrough Fellowship, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, aims to bring communications leaders together to spark narrative breakthroughs for the well-being of children. Running March–August 2026, it’s designed for professionals across disciplines who are working to advance the well-being of babies, children, and youth. Full details on the fellowship and how to submit an application can be found here.

→ Join the Lowe’s Creator Community: For creators that have considered changing their middle name to “DIY” or “home reno expert,” the Lowes Creator Community provides an opportunity to build out a storefront with the tools that are the star of the [content] show. Apply to join the Lowes Creator Community here.

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