Social Media Changes: Communication Over Connection
Newspapers. Magazines. Radio. Television. Social media.
Social media is arguably one of the most revolutionary innovations of the 21st century. According to Christiana Freitag in an article for the Ad Council, “From giving us new ways to come together and stay connected with the world around us, to providing outlets for self-expression, social media has fundamentally changed the way we initiate, build and maintain our relationships.”
Whether it be Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, or one out of a handful or others, social media’s influence can be seen everywhere – for both good and bad. Its impact spans from how we as humans interact with one another, to how brands promote and engage with their audience, to even how people engage with politics and view important societal issues. Social media has promoted facts and fiction, truth and lies, positives and negatives.
But social media is changing. Some even argue that the technology is in decline. In an article for The New York Times, Brian X. Chen argues that “Social media is, in many ways, becoming less social,” citing how there are more brand posts than personal updates on feed nowadays. There is no question as to why more businesses and brands are promoting themselves on the platforms where people are. But the rise of social media marketing has fundamentally changed what social media is.
This change – amongst others – led Ellis Hamburger, a former employee at Snap (the company behind Snapchat), to write an article for The Verge entitled “Social Media is Doomed to Die.” Hamburger writes about the rise of short-form content and how it has fundamentally changed social media. “I am here for the Japanese frog videos I see on TikTok,” writes Hamburger, “But in no way do I see them as a replacement for keeping up with friends and family — the goal of social media to begin with.”
It is almost as if social media pages are becoming a hub for information rather than communication. Couple this with the recent rise of artificial intelligence, and you brew up a storm of changes. In her prediction on the future of social media, Cassie Wilson writes in a Hubspot article that “Consumers will search for information on social media or via AI instead of traditional search engines.”
The social media we know today is different than it was a couple years ago. I remember the time where Instagram felt exactly like its name – an instant way to show pictures. Now the app is flooded with reels, stories, and other features that I have never used. And lately, I’ve found myself to be bored, seeing the same branded content rather than posts from people that I actually care about.
Social media is changing. In the coming years, I predict that social media will be less about connection and more about communication. Platforms will be more focused on pushing out entertaining, informative, and persuading posts rather than life updates. Social media will be a source of information for many. According to Wilson, “If traditional search engines fail to meet consumer needs, TikTok and other social platforms may take the lead in product and content discovery as they prioritize visual content.” Social media will have a role to play for the rest of its lifespan. We do not know when the next big thing will come that will end social media for good. But while social media is here, it will continue to evolve to meet the demands of its users.
Although a refocus on information would not be inherently bad, it means that is humans, we will have to find another way to connect. In many ways, perhaps this shift would actually be better. We can focus on building relationships in real life, rather than on a screen.
I’m Sean Formantes, a graphic designer and content creator for social media. I am a lover of music, art, and coffee.