Who wins the social spiral? Consumers’ relationship with social platforms is changing

There is no shortage of takes on the role of social platforms in our daily lives, from former influencers lamenting the end of Twitter’s golden era to researchers studying  social media’s impact on teens’ mental health. All seem to agree: social platforms can have detrimental effects, we should live more offline, and everyone wants out of the relentless demands of the algorithm.  

Yet very little seems to be changing. Despite Elon Musk gleefully sharing Instagram’s status as the most-deleted app in 2023, weekly user penetration of the app –– and of most social apps, in fact –– has remained fairly consistent over the last two years, according to MIDiA’s quarterly survey. 

MIDiA analysed some of the factors behind this in our last social blog. Essentially, the platforms provide services that cannot be abandoned or easily replaced in the current digitally-dominated world, despite indications that consumers want to reduce their usage. However, there are more subtle shifts behind the scenes. It is less about which apps consumers are using and more about how. 

Analogue is experiencing a revival, from vinyl sales growing annually to under-25s over-indexing for buying DVDs. Old cameras and video recorders make regular appearances at gigs and festivals. Yet, again, digital engagement is not seeing significant drop-off as a result. Physical formats are not a replacement for digital engagement, but rather adding other dimensions to it, with the footage from those old video cameras making their way onto TikTok and photos of aesthetic bookshelves going viral. 

Physical serves a critical purpose: putting distance between users and their phones and replacing it with closeness to the experience. Audiences are desperate for connection not only to entertainment but to each other, yet social platforms are increasingly optimising for entertainment rather than the social connection between friends. The biggest innovations for platforms from X to Instagram have been the inclusion of social video, AI, and creator tools. Yet, according to the companies themselves, active engagement is still predominantly in features like Stories and DMs, where users keep in touch with their friends. The need for social platforms is still inescapable, be it because of social norms, logistical demands of digital life, or simply  social media’s addictive properties.  However, audiences are starting to mediate their relationship with them. Usage is not declining, but the way audiences use platforms is changing — be it taking photos to be selectively uploaded later, or reducing screen time in a number of ways, from deleting apps to turning the screen black-and-white. No longer is the social platform the go-to interface between user and real-world. More effort is going into the curation that happens in between the two, leaving room in that gap for other propositions, physical or otherwise, to fill. 

This puts social platforms at an existential crossroads. While the likes of Instagram and TikTok move away from the fundamental USP of social connection into pure entertainment, created and distributed by a consumer creator class, Snapchat’s recent ad campaign does the opposite, pushing it as a ‘social’ alternative to the other platforms’ ‘media’. Moreover, events like the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and the ongoing US battle for TikTok regulation hint at hazards on the horizon. Yet both companies have interests rooted in global powers outside of the Western-dominated market. ‘Home grown’ companies in the US like Meta and X are, so far, in the clear, which puts any significant legislative disruption fairly far out. 

Nevertheless, free market principles tell us that consumers will stop using products they no longer want or need, and this changing relationship they are negotiating with social platforms is an early warning sign. Social connectivity is arguably a stronger human need than entertainment and a realm with less competition — but platforms are moving away from the former and towards the latter. At present, the need for social platforms is too high to abandon completely. But change happens incredibly slowly, and then suddenly all at once. Most discourse is now bifurcated between articles decrying the woes of social and purely economic analysis of their performance (namely, growth). Yet the two cannot exist in isolation forever. Social platforms need to carefully consider their position in the marketplace and what exactly it is they offer to consumers –– because should they fail in their primary USP, they can ultimately be replaced, outcompeted, regulated, or simply abandoned. Consciously (the Frances Haugen testimony indicates that to some extent it is) or not, the engagement and growth strategies of these companies is causing at least some harm to consumers, individually and collectively. How long has that kind of strategy ever lasted without repercussions? 

For need-to-know insight on cultural shifts and strategic solutions, get in touch with our team to explore our social coverage at enquiries@midiaresearch.com.