In 2022, the American academic and video game designer Ian Bogost declared that social media is over. “Facebook is in decline, Twitter in chaos. It’s never felt more plausible that the age of social media might end — and soon.”
But how true are those words?
In this article we explore:
- Trends in social media usage in the 20’s;
- Changing user behaviour on social media;
- The impact of AI on social media usage;
- What the future of social media could look like;
- What all this means for your digital marketing agency.
Trends in social media usage in the 20’s
In most areas of the developed world, social media platforms are an accepted part of everyday life, to the extent where social media use is beginning to approach a natural ceiling.
The three most popular social media platforms – in terms of the average time active users spend on them – are currently:
- TikTok : 34 hours and 56 minutes per month.
- YouTube : 27 hours and 10 minutes.
- Facebook : 17 hours and 17 minutes.
The above three are followed by Instagram, WhatsApp, Line, and X.
However, whilst social media content continues to expand, it appears that the quality of engagement is declining. Average daily time spent on social media has dropped, particularly among younger users. And even though users are still viewing content, they aren’t necessarily connecting or conversing on social media as they would have done before.
But why is this happening?
Changing user behaviour on social media
Social media was originally positioned as a channel for people to connect and share authentic content with others. It offered the opportunity for family and friends to keep in touch online and share little details of their everyday lives : holidays, nights out, children, pets, job changes, home improvements and even what they had for breakfast.
But now many users feel fatigued by both the sharing of others and the pressure to share themselves. And the sharing of others is often now dominated by brands and groups rather than just private individuals. It can all lead to a sense of digital overwhelm. So there is a growing trend to decline personal sharing and instead become a passive social media observer. Some users take this a step further, taking deliberate breaks from social media to clear their minds.
Positive social media interaction is also not helped by the growing numbers of so-called trolls who can appear not just on group posts but even on personal posts. Some people seemingly just like to argue and will be deliberately provocative on what may have started as an innocuous post or genuine question. The subsequent comments can quickly degenerate into mud slinging, and detract from the original post altogether.
All in all, it can feel as if social media is no longer a fun place to hang out, but a fragile surface to be quickly skimmed.
And of course another factor that is putting many users off social media is the role of AI.
The impact of AI on social media usage
A niche theory has been circulating around the web for some years now, called The Dead Internet Theory. This theory suggests that most online content is no longer created by people but by bots, AI-generators and spam.
Certainly, the largest social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have become host to much of the Internet’s AI‑generated spam, with machine‑written posts flooding public groups with clickbait. These platforms now show users content not just from the people they follow but based on AI-powered algorithms across all platforms to analyse what they might be interested in.
For many social media users, the impact of this AI intervention is that they miss seeing genuine posts from people they know, and feel frustrated that social media has become soulless. One Reddit user described their frustration by saying “AI is making me want to delete social media”.
Many social media users are looking for an alternative way forward. But what could that look like?
What the future of social media could look like
As the emphasis of social media changes, seeds of a new model are beginning to take root. Smaller online communities are gathering pace. There are three main types of these:
- Intentional, opt-in micro‑communities, such as Substack or Patreon;
- Private group chats and invite‑only circles;
- Subsets of major platforms, such as Instagram DMs, X subscriber‑only circles and TikTok private communities.
All the above could be viewed as smaller-scale social media. None, for example, is able to offer one single interface that serves all online needs. But they are more relaxed, more private and emphasise quality over quantity. Whether these micro-communities form on the basis of family or friendship connections, shared interests or passions, creative collaborations, or any niche topic you may care to name, the key thing is that they are human.
What all this means for your digital marketing agency
Digital marketing strategy needs to be kept continually under review, particularly in this changing landscape. And at this stage, the best strategy is probably a two-pronged approach : social media marketing and community engagement.
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Social media marketing
For the foreseeable future, mainstream social media platforms will continue to be a significant channel for business and marketing activity. It will still enable consumers to discover and interact with brands. So it’s still important to be present on multiple social platforms.
However, the key is to be selective about pouring your efforts into those platforms that work best for you rather than spreading yourself too thinly. For example, Facebook and Instagram are popular among more mature internet users worldwide whereas TikTok and X appeal to the younger demographics.
And then, of course, ensure that your branding and content has the authenticity to stand out from other more AI-driven content. For Facebook and Instagram, include storytelling and factual messaging in your content, whereas for TikTok and X, focus on short, high impact content to elicit quick reactions.
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Community engagement
Smaller closed communities present something of a challenge for digital marketing, as most don’t offer opportunities for advertising. So a good strategy here would be to get in at the start and begin to create, build and grow your own community around the mission and core values of your business.
If there are existing communities that are very similar, try to offer something that is a bit different – even if it has to be more niche. You are likely to find people that are excited to find unique, tailor-made content and who may even be able to help to spread the word and grow the community. Ensure that your content is authentic and can in turn educate, entertain, and provide real solutions to real problems. And, above all, is human.
We hope that the ideas in this article are useful in helping you to plan how to use social media marketing effectively going forward, and also how to harness the emerging power of smaller online communities.
For more information and tips on digital marketing, check back here soon with us at Xcite Digital.