Is Social Media Broken? 5 Truths About The Great Engagement Recession

Welcome to the Social Media Recession.

No, it’s not about money. It’s about attention. If you’ve noticed your likes, comments, and shares are looking a bit… quiet lately, you’re not alone. Brands, marketers, and even your favourite meme pages are feeling it. So, what’s actually going on? And more importantly, what can we do about it?.

1. What even is an Engagement Recession?

Let’s get real: people are still online, but they’re not vibing with your posts like they used to. This “engagement recession” is the digital version of everyone ghosting the party but still hanging out in the kitchen.

You post, you wait, you get… crickets. It’s not just you. It’s everyone.

2. Where did everyone go? (Hint: Not your Feed)

Remember when the feed was the main event? Now, it’s more like background noise. Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, says teens are spending more time in DMs than on Stories, and more time in Stories than in the feed.

Translation: the public internet is looking empty, but private spaces are packed. Discord, Telegram, and Facebook Groups are blowing up. Facebook Groups alone have over 1.8 billion monthly users. That’s not a typo.

People want smaller, safer spaces. Less noise, more real talk.

3. Are we bored or just over it?

Here’s the wild part: people are still scrolling, but they’re not really paying attention. Maybe it’s boredom. Maybe it’s content fatigue. Maybe it’s just that everything feels the same.

We’re all tuning in, but nobody’s really tuned in. The group chat is where the action is. The feed is just… there.

4. What does this mean for brands? (Spoiler: It’s not all doom)

If you’re a brand, this is the part where you panic. The most important moments are happening where you can’t see them. Private DMs, closed groups, secret Discord servers.

Should you follow users into these spaces? Maybe. But barging into the group chat is like crashing a house party you weren’t invited to. Awkward.

Instead, think about why people left the public feed in the first place. They want authenticity, connection, and content that actually matters to them.

5. How do we fix the Great Social Media Recession?

Here’s the good news: it’s not game over. It’s just a new game.

If you want to win, here’s what you need to do:

• Get real: Ditch the corporate speak. Be weird, be honest, be human.
• Start conversations: Don’t just broadcast. Ask questions, reply to comments, slide into DMs (respectfully).
• Go niche: The broader you go, the less anyone cares. Find your people and talk to them, not at them.
• Create for the community: Give people a reason to stick around. Exclusive content, private groups, real value.
• Measure what matters: Forget vanity metrics. Focus on real engagement, even if it’s smaller numbers.
  

Take WhatsApp, for example: it’s rolling out ads in the Status tab and offering Promoted Channels ad subscriptions. No need to freak out, your private chats are still off-limits. But for brands, this is a massive opportunity, especially in places where WhatsApp is the family group chat, the news feed, and the local marketplace all rolled into one. Craving more updates like this?
Follow DarkMatter on LinkedIn and catch the latest “The Social Echo” post for all the details.

The bottom line

Social media isn’t dead. It’s just moved house.

If you want to keep up, you need to change how you play. The brands that thrive will be the ones that get personal, get creative, and actually listen.

The “social media recession” isn’t a crisis. It’s a reset. And honestly? It’s about time.

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