- Social shift ahead. The decline of big social media platforms is accelerating, and this is reshaping how brands should approach customer engagement.
- Trust on trial. Consumers trust user-generated content far more than influencer promotions, which signals a shift in what drives brand credibility.
- Own your channels. Brands must invest in direct channels like websites, apps and email to regain control over customer relationships
A few years from now, we may look back on 2025 as the beginning of the end of two long-standing mega pillars of the internet.
The first is Google’s domination of the search engine marketplace, which is being disrupted by generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity, with Google’s market share falling below 90% for the first time since 2015. Antitrust issues aside, there are plenty of reasons to believe it will never be that high ever again.
The second is the end of the era of big social media platforms.
Let’s look at the crumbling that’s already started, where things are likely headed and why the momentum isn’t likely to let up.
The Canary in the Coal Mine
Before its acquisition by Elon Musk, Twitter was widely viewed as the world’s digital town square. Since its transformation into X, it’s become a shadow of its former self, more of a ghost town than the world’s town square.Since Musk purchased the platform in 2022 for $44 billion, X’s valuation has plunged. According to Fidelity’s valuation of its investment in X, the platform’s worth has fallen by 79% to just $9.4 billion. Brand Finance is even less generous, valuing it at just $498 million earlier this year.
This change of fortune was driven by an 80% reduction in staff, which notably included all of its content moderation staff and partners. That change directly led to a marked decline in content quality and negative shift in tone. This caused millions of active users to leave the platform, and it raised brand safety concerns among advertisers, many of which reduced or ended their advertising. As a result, X is “barely breaking even” and has sued its former advertisers, claiming conspiracy.
That chain of events is important because of what happened next.
Bots Are Taking Over — and Everyone Knows It
Authenticity and trust are being further undermined by AI bots, which in some cases are being directly created and enabled by social media platforms. For instance, Meta created Facebook and Instagram AI bots for living celebrities, dead famous people and others. Meta also allows Instagram users to create AI versions of themselves to interact with their followers (seemingly to save them from having to waste their time doing so).These programs aren’t fringe. They’re core to social media’s future. Meta has even told The Financial Times that it envisages social media filled with AI-generated users.
To their credit, these AI bots are clearly labeled. But it conjures up a dystopian future where we all create AI versions of ourselves that chat with one another and periodically update us about the fake conversations our fake selves are having with all the other fake people. That’s a far cry from the original promise of social media. In fact, we probably won’t call it “social” media at that point.
Take Back What You Can Control
If you throw in the uncertainty swirling around TikTok, social media has never looked more shaky. Still huge, but shaky.The natural response from brands should be to counterbalance that uncertainty by investing more in channels they have much more control over, including websites, apps, customer loyalty programs, email, SMS (RCS), mobile and browser push, and podcasts.
In addition to building up first-party audiences, which give you much more direct and unmediated relationships with your customers and prospects, investing in these channels also gives you many opportunities to collect first-party data. This data is vital for driving message targeting, ad targeting and analytics that get us closer to our customers.
The internet is undergoing massive changes. And if Twitter’s transformation into X demonstrates anything, it’s that big changes can happen faster than you think. Every brand should be watching carefully and coming up with contingency plans before they realize they’re a few years too late.
How is the collapse of big social media changing customer engagement?
As trust in major social media platforms declines, brands are shifting their focus toward direct engagement strategies such as email marketing, owned communities and first-party data collection. Consumers are looking for more meaningful interactions, prompting businesses to invest in personalized customer experiences outside of traditional social media channels.What role does user-generated content (UGC) play in brand credibility?
With consumers increasingly skeptical of paid influencer promotions, authentic user-generated content has become a powerful trust-building tool. Brands that encourage customers to share real experiences—through testimonials, reviews, and organic social posts—see stronger engagement and credibility compared to those relying on traditional advertising.Why should brands invest in owned channels over social media?
Brands that rely heavily on platforms like X and Meta face risks due to algorithm changes, declining organic reach and shifting audience behaviors. Investing in owned channels such as company websites, email newsletters and brand communities provides greater control over customer relationships and reduces dependence on unpredictable third-party platforms.How can brands mitigate the risks of AI-generated content and fake engagement?
AI-generated interactions and fake engagement on social media are eroding trust. To counter this, brands are prioritizing authenticity by fostering real customer conversations, leveraging human-led content creation, and verifying the credibility of online interactions. Transparency about AI usage in customer engagement is also key to maintaining consumer trust.What are the long-term implications of social media’s decline for digital marketing?
The decline of traditional social media is pushing marketers toward more diversified digital strategies. SEO-driven content, community-based marketing and personalized experiences are becoming more effective than broad social media outreach. Businesses that focus on building loyal audiences through multiple touchpoints will be better positioned for long-term success.Source:
Is This the Beginning of the End of Big Social Media?
Social media is unraveling. Brands betting on platforms they own will be the ones left standing.
