Social media was built on a simple idea: keeping up with people you know.
You logged on to see a friend’s holiday photos, catch up on family news or find out what people in your wider circle were doing. The feed felt personal because it was shaped by relationships. Now, it is increasingly shaped by behaviour.
TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t need to know who your friends are to keep you watching. Instagram increasingly fills feeds with recommended Reels from accounts people do not follow. LinkedIn rewards users who broadcast a point of view to a wider audience, rather than those simply keeping in touch with their professional network.
Our feeds are now dominated by trends, creators, recommendations and algorithm-led discovery. The people we know are still there, but they are no longer always at the centre of the experience.
So, are people becoming less social online? Or are they simply choosing to be less public?
Key takeaways
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Social media platforms have shifted from relationship-led feeds to algorithm-led discovery – content from strangers now competes directly with content from people you actually know.
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Public feeds are becoming quieter, but that doesn’t mean people are less social. Much of the real conversation has moved to private spaces: group chats, DMs, Close Friends, broadcast channels and niche communities.
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For brands, this means competing not just with other brands, but with every piece of content that might be more entertaining or relevant in that moment.
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Visible metrics like likes and comments no longer capture the full picture. Saves, shares in private chats, and repeat return visits often reflect deeper interest than public engagement does.
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The strongest brand communities aren’t the largest – they’re the ones that give people a genuine reason to keep coming back and contribute, rather than just consume.
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The opportunity for brands isn’t to dominate every feed. It’s to build content and spaces worth returning to, in the places where real conversation now happens.
Social media was built on connection, now it’s built on discovery
The biggest change in social media isn’t that people have stopped using it. It’s that platforms have changed what they’re for. They used to be places to catch up with friends, family and the accounts you chose to follow. Now, they’re increasingly places to discover whatever an algorithm thinks you will enjoy.
TikTok led this shift with its ‘For You’ page, showing users content based on what they watch, skip, save and rewatch, not just who they know. Instagram and Facebook have followed with more recommended posts and Reels from accounts they may never have heard of.
That has made social media platforms more entertaining, but it’s also made them less personal. You might open Instagram to see what your friends are doing, then spend 20 minutes watching videos from strangers. You might scroll TikTok for a laugh, discover a new creator or find a product you want to buy, without interacting with anyone you know.
The feed is no longer just a place to catch up. It’s a place to be entertained.
Why discovery-led feeds are changing social media marketing
The longer people spend watching content, the more opportunities there are for advertising, shopping and discovery. Recommendation-led feeds are designed to keep users moving from one video, post or trend to the next.
And they work.
Algorithms can surface niche creators, useful advice and entertaining content that people may never have found through their own networks. They have also made it easier for new creators and brands to reach audiences without needing a huge follower count, but that convenience can come at a cost.
When the feed is built around predicted interest, friends become just another source of content. A post from someone you know can sit between a viral recipe, a creator’s morning routine and a product review.
The question is no longer only, “Who do I want to hear from?” It’s, “What will keep me watching?” For brands, this has changed social media marketing completely. You aren’t just competing with other brands in your category, you’re competing with every piece of content that might be more useful, entertaining, relevant or immediately interesting than yours.
Want to get ahead of your competitors? Discover why the comments section matters more than reach.
Are people less social online, or just less public?
It would be easy to look at quieter public feeds and assume people are becoming less social online. But that doesn’t tell the full story. People are still sharing memes, asking for recommendations, talking about their lives and sending each other content they know the other will enjoy. The difference is where that behaviour is happening, and who gets to see it.
Instagram is a good example of this. Stories have become the place for the casual updates that may once have appeared on the main feed, such as a photo from dinner, a quick opinion, a meme or a moment that does not need to live on a profile forever. Because Stories disappear after 24 hours, they can make sharing feel lower stakes than posting permanently to the grid.
Close Friends takes this a step further. What began as a way to share Stories with a smaller circle has expanded to include feed posts and Reels too. It gives users more control over their audience, allowing them to share in a way that feels personal without broadcasting to every follower, and that control matters.
Public posting can feel high-pressure. A casual thought can be screenshotted, a photo can be judged, a comment can become a debate with people you never intended to speak to. So, instead of disappearing from social media, many users are becoming more selective about how they show up.
The result is a quieter kind of social media behaviour. People may scroll for days without posting. They may follow a brand for months without liking a single piece of content. They may save posts, send them to friends or discuss them in a group chat without leaving any visible sign of engagement.
That does not mean they aren’t interested. It means social media engagement is becoming harder to see.
Private social media is where real conversation is happening
If public feeds are becoming entertainment spaces, the more personal side of social media is moving into smaller corners of the internet. Group chats, direct messages, private accounts, broadcast channels and niche online communities are where much of the real conversation now happens.
These spaces give users more control over context. They can share a post with one friend instead of an entire following. They can ask for advice in a group where people understand the situation. They can talk without feeling as though they are performing for a wider audience.
The public feed may still be where content is discovered. But increasingly, private spaces are where that content is discussed, shared and acted on.
Why online communities matter for brands
For brands, this shift is an important reminder that community is not always built in the biggest, most visible spaces.
Many brands are already creating smaller communities around shared interests, giving audiences a reason to stay connected beyond individual posts. A running brand might build community through local run clubs. A beauty brand might use a broadcast channel to share tips, launches and behind-the-scenes content with its most engaged followers. A lifestyle brand might create a space where customers can share advice, recommendations and experiences with each other.
This works because online communities can create a stronger sense of belonging. People are not just consuming content from the brand. They’re becoming part of the conversation around it.
That sense of participation is super valuable in the social media climate right now. It can turn passive followers into regular contributors, customers into advocates and one-off engagement into a longer-term relationship. The strongest brand communities are not always the largest. They are the ones where people have a reason to keep coming back.
What social media engagement means for brands now
This doesn’t mean visible social media metrics are no longer important. Reach, likes, comments, saves and shares are still valuable reference points. They help brands understand what is landing, what is gaining attention and how audiences are responding in public, but they should not be viewed in isolation.
Brands also need to consider what those metrics don’t always show. Are audiences returning regularly? Are conversations happening in smaller spaces? Are people saving posts because they intend to act on them later?
These signals may not always be as visible as a like or comment, but they can reveal a deeper level of interest. Because strong social media strategy is not just about reaching more people. It is about creating the kind of content and community that gives people a reason to stay involved.
The future of social media may be more community-led
Social media platforms will continue to grow. Algorithms will continue to become better at predicting what people want to watch, read, save and share. But growth doesn’t always create connection. The biggest feeds may be where people discover content, trends and brands, but the most meaningful interactions are increasingly happening in the spaces where people feel comfortable contributing, whether that is a group chat, a broadcast channel, an event or a brand community built around a shared interest.
That is the shift brands need to pay attention to. Social media isn’t becoming less important. It’s becoming more intentional. People are still connecting, sharing and influencing each other online, but they are doing it in spaces where they have more control over who sees, responds and joins the conversation.
For brands, the opportunity is not to dominate every feed or chase every visible interaction. It’s to create content worth sharing, build spaces people want to be part of and understand how audiences behave beyond the public post. Because the future of social media will not only be shaped by what people watch. It will be shaped by where they choose to connect.
So, why is social media becoming less social?
Put simply, it’s because the public feed is no longer built around people first. It is built around attention.
Social media algorithms have made platforms faster, more personalised and more entertaining. They have also changed the role of the feed. What was once a place to keep up with people we knew has become a place to discover content from people we may never meet. But that doesn’t mean audiences have stopped being social. It means social behaviour has changed.
People are still sharing opinions, asking for advice, recommending products, sending content to friends and building communities around the things they care about. But more of that interaction is happening privately, selectively and in smaller spaces.
For brands, that shift matters. The strongest social media strategies will be the ones that understand how people connect now, create content with a reason to travel and build communities that give audiences a reason to stay involved.
FAQs
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Is social media actually becoming less social? Not exactly – public posting has become quieter, but that reflects a shift in where socialising happens rather than a decline in it. Much of today’s genuine interaction has moved into private spaces like group chats, DMs and smaller online communities.
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Why do social media feeds show more content from strangers than friends? Platforms like TikTok and Instagram now prioritise algorithm-led discovery over relationship-based feeds, surfacing content based on predicted interest rather than who a user follows. This keeps people watching longer but makes the feed feel less personal.
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Why are features like Instagram’s Close Friends and Stories growing in popularity? These features give users more control over their audience and lower the stakes of sharing, since content is temporary or limited to a smaller circle. That makes casual, personal sharing feel safer than posting to a full public feed.
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What does this shift mean for brands on social media? Reach and public engagement metrics are still useful, but they no longer tell the whole story. Brands need to also consider whether audiences are returning, saving content to act on later, or discussing it in private spaces – and build communities that give people a reason to stay engaged beyond a single post.
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How can brands build community in a more private, discovery-led social landscape? By creating smaller, dedicated spaces – broadcast channels, local events, online communities – built around shared interests rather than relying solely on public feed performance. The goal is turning passive followers into active participants.
Ready to build a social strategy for how people actually connect?
At Brandnation, we help brands move beyond chasing reach and build the kind of content and communities people genuinely want to be part of, whether that’s a broadcast channel, an in-person event or a space built around shared interest rather than a single post.
Get in touch to discuss how your brand can show up in the places where real conversation is happening.
About the author
Simarin Tandon | Junior Digital Account Director
Having worked with brands across the Beauty & Wellness, FMCG, FinTech, and Home & Lifestyle sectors, Simarin focuses on driving acquisition and growth, whilst managing the Digital team at brandnation.
A curious marketer, Simarin’s finger is always on the pulse when it comes to performance and digital updates across both paid and organic platforms.
