Is Social Media on Its Way Out?
By Movieguide® Contributor
User numbers are dropping, feeds are all ads and many are making a conscious effort to spend less time on their phones — is the golden age of social media officially over?
“Ask anyone in their 20s about their social media use, and you’re bound to get a range of reactions from eye rolls to exasperated sighs,” Relevant Magazine wrote. “For Gen Z, who grew up with social media in hand, there’s been a recent increasing shift toward prioritizing real-life connections, mental health and creativity over constantly scrolling through a feed.”
Additionally, many social media users are growing frustrated by the rise in ads they’re seeing on sites like Instagram and X, as well as an increasing number of apps that are rebranding — to look exactly like one another.
“If every app looks like every other app, where’s the allure?” Relevant asked. “This shift away from uniqueness signals that social media, once a playground for individuality, is now just a playground for profit. And that, of course, has come with serious consequences.”
Quartz reported that “more than 115,000 web visitors in the U.S. deactivated their X accounts” over the past week.
Others are concerned about the real-world impact these apps might have.
President Biden signed a bill in April 2024 that will ban TikTok in America, starting January 2025, unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells to a government-approved buyer.
“The main impetus for the ban is national security,” PR News explained. “Lawmakers worry ByteDance could leak U.S. user data to the Chinese government if pressed to do so.”
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“Some experts argue that what we’re seeing is a natural evolution — a correction, if you will,” Relevant continued. “Perhaps the golden age of social media, with its initial utopian promise, was always bound to fizzle. What’s left is a digital wasteland of overstimulation and performance. In this environment, is it any wonder that people are looking for something more meaningful, even if that means stepping away from the screen entirely?”
The outlet said “social media as we knew it” will “probably” never come back.
“But honestly, maybe that’s for the best,” Relevant concluded. “As we step away from the hype machine of traditional platforms, we’re free to find connection in smaller, safer spaces — or, brace yourselves, in the real world. The next time you feel the urge to scroll, maybe you’ll remember the days when your online self didn’t feel like a brand. And who knows? You might even decide to log off.”
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