TikTok, Meta, X and AI: What’s a Direct Seller to Do?

We’re only a handful of weeks into 2025, and I already find myself having what feels like more questions than answers in some areas. Social media and digital commerce are definitely one of those areas.

That should be no surprise, right? The very nature of digital and social is to be agile. But to me it feels as though we’re really about to leapfrog forward in some areas, while some of the areas of social commerce that we’ve actually gotten used to are going to get shaken up considerably over the next few months.

What will it all mean for direct selling?

I always find changes in social media and digital commerce pretty fascinating for direct selling companies, because we have to consider it from a corporate viewpoint, a salesforce viewpoint and a consumer viewpoint.

In the spirit of believing that sometimes knowing the right question is more important than knowing the answer, I pass along some of the questions I find top-of-mind right now, and encourage every company to find the right answer to each one. The only wrong answer will be to ignore them.

1. What Does the Future of TikTok Mean for Your Company?

   As I write this, the future of TikTok in the U.S. is still in limbo. It’s possible it could be banned in the U.S., or sold, or any number of possibilities. And, it’s possible the decision could be delayed. While this isn’t necessarily a global decision, we know this U.S. decision can have a major impact on the global use of and around TikTok. Even Byte Dance itself (the company that owns TikTok) is busy with Plan B options in the form of a new platform called Lemon8.

   Whether TikTok sticks around, is replaced or goes away altogether, the fact remains that much of the major attention and major money being earned by online influencers and creators is being done on TikTok right now. And TikTok may not remain the platform of choice, but we know whatever comes next will only build off of what we’re learning now in terms of social commerce and online direct selling. The modern direct seller is going to expect to be able to do what these people do, and why wouldn’t they?

   The big question is this: are you allowing that to happen at your company?

   Personally, TikTok just isn’t my thing. I was hoping that we’d be able to ignore it. But it’s become evident that we cannot.

   How is your company leveraging TikTok, and responding to the ever-changing opportunities for shopping directly from social platforms? What about your Distributors? Are you viewing it more as an opportunity, or an obstacle? And how will your company respond to whatever changes are coming as it relates to TikTok?

2. What Can We Expect from Facebook/Meta?

   At the same time, Mark Zuckerberg recently announced some major shifts in how the Meta platforms (esp. Facebook and Instagram) will work in terms of fact-checking, content verification and much more. He also confirmed in a podcast with Joe Rogan the efforts that some government leaders had been taking to mold the public narrative (and I’ll just leave it at that for here). While we’ve seen this coming for a while, it seems to me like this shift and the principles behind it serve as quite the milestone. Without a doubt, social media holds a much stronger impact over today’s public than does traditional media. You could suggest that it’s been that way for a while, but it feels like it’s now a certainty.

   What does this actually mean for our people? Our Distributors? Our customers? Our connection with them? Are you viewing “social media” like you would “media?” If you did, how would that change how you used it?

   I don’t have all the answers here, but I do know that if we’re simply thinking of posting fun images and memes as a way to connect with a group of people, we’re vastly under-leveraging the power and access we’ve been given. These changes from Meta signal a pretty fresh way to look at how social media will work moving forward.

3. Twitter/X Matters Again. Does It Matter for Direct Selling?

   I was an early adopter of Twitter. In its original state, it was definitely my favorite social media platform. Then, it wasn’t. And I wasn’t alone.

   But Elon Musk and the crew at X are making it impossible to simply ignore the platform now. And regardless of what you think of how that’s come about, we can no longer ignore X as holding an important place in the media universe.

   So what will this mean for direct sellers? Is your field using X currently? Will they? And what about corporate? Your execs?

   Again, I’m not sure of the right answers here, but I do know that the X platform is more relevant than it’s been in a long time, maybe ever. Bypassing it as part of your media ecosystem is a mistake.

4. With So Much Content, What Content Approach Actually Works?

   As social platforms evolve rapidly, where content is so often shared, the actual ability to produce content is evolving even faster. AI is further commoditizing the ability to create compelling content. Sure, you can contend that it has its moments of producing generic, lackluster content, but I’m finding that it’s getting better and better every single day. From articles to videos to even podcasts, AI is making content EXTREMELY easy to produce.

   So in a world where content is so easy to produce and promote, what content actually wins? What stands out?

   As a direct selling company, this is the question that should provoke you the most. How do you continue to create the content and messages that resonate with your audience, but also how do you keep up in a world where producing such content is so easy and accessible?

5. What Happens When the Field Truly Embraces AI?

   Let’s take that last thought a step further. Sure, there are those in the field that are jumping on board quickly to the use of AI. But it’s certainly not the majority. But it will be. What will that look like? What will they expect? What will you expect? In an industry that cherishes community more than anything, will this help us or hurt us?

   On top of that, virtually every tool being launched right now is focused on providing some form of AI for the field to use. Or, for corporate to use on behalf of the field.

   As AI becomes more and more a part of how we all simply work, what can and should we truly expect from our Distributors? Their engagement? Their investment of time? Their loyalty?

   And what is that worth in terms of commissions?

Like I said, I have more questions than I have answers here. What are your thoughts? Doing anything interesting at your company?

Regardless, direct selling is resilient. It’s adapted to so many market shifts over the decades. Each shift can become a stumbling block for some companies and launching pads for others. So the key skill to master is the ability to recognize and adapt.

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Written by Brett Duncan. Brett specializes in helping direct selling companies evolve into modern social selling models while still maintaining the culture and essence of who they are and what makes them different. He is co-founder and managing partner of Strategic Choice Partners, a business development firm that helps direct selling companies take their next steps.

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