When Did Social Stop Being... Social?

I’ve been working in social media for over ten years now. I know, I know... practically a fossil by industry standards. I’ve seen platforms rise, fall, rebrand, copy each other, and squeeze every last drop out of the term “community.” But lately, I’ve found myself asking: when did social stop being... well, social?

Back in the good old days (yes, I’m saying that now), social media was all about connection. It felt raw, scrappy, and personal. Brands weren’t polished content machines, they were learning alongside their audiences. Comment sections buzzed with real conversations. You could slide into someone’s DMs and actually talk, not just get hit with an auto-reply and a linktree.

But somewhere along the way, things changed…

The Shift from Community to Content Machines

Platforms that once championed connection have become ad delivery systems dressed up as entertainment hubs. Instagram wants to be TikTok. TikTok wants to be Amazon. Facebook… exists? And every new update feels like it’s designed to keep you watching, not talking.

The algorithm doesn’t care about conversation. It rewards performance.

So we started performing.

Even brands with the best intentions, those who genuinely wanted to build community found themselves chasing trends instead. “What’s the next viral sound?” replaced “What do our followers actually care about?” Growth became the goal, not engagement. Visibility, not value.

As a consultant, I’ve sat in countless rooms where “community building” was listed as a KPI, and then completely deprioritised because it didn’t convert fast enough. Building trust takes time, but time isn’t scalable. ROI is.

The Loneliness of the Scroll

We’ve created feeds that are beautiful, sharp, curated… and completely devoid of soul. Social media was supposed to bring us together, yet so many people… creators, users, even marketers, feel lonelier than ever online.

There’s less space for imperfection. Fewer authentic voices. Fewer chances to be real. We used to post dodgy brunch pics and blurry gig stories with horrible filters… now, we plan out our captions three weeks in advance, get sign-off from legal, and add five trending sounds “just in case.”

Don’t get me wrong, strategy matters. Storytelling matters. Good content matters. But not at the expense of connection.

So... What Now?

Social isn’t dead, it’s just... tired. Oversaturated. Over-optimised. But there’s hope. People are craving realness again. Communities are still out there. Often smaller, more niche, but fiercely loyal.

As an industry, we need to rethink what success on social really means. It’s not just about reach. It’s about resonance.

The brands and creators who will thrive in this next chapter? They’re the ones who dare to be human. Who respond to comments without a chatbot. Who start actual conversations. Who aren’t afraid to ditch the script once in a while.

Because social media can still be social. If we let it.