2024: The Year of Disengagement from Social Media
This text is part of our series of 6 articles on the main digital trends in 2024.
We are witnessing a significant decline in interactions with social media over the past few years, notably due to misinformation, toxic users, and rampant bots. The recent hearings of the American Senate committee on the subject are far from improving the public perception of these platforms. As a result, many companies will need to rethink their online sales and conversion strategies in the coming years. Learn more about user disengagement on social media platforms and discover how your organization can adapt to this trend, which is far from fading away!
Disengagement on social media in numbers
Although still significant, the influence of social media will continue to decline in the coming years. And many data points tend to confirm this!
Indeed, according to the Gartner firm, nearly half of consumers will significantly limit their interactions with social media by 2025 due to a perceived decline in quality. Dan Gutter, a researcher at Gartner, emphasizes that only 20% of people still share life moments on Facebook in 2024.
Data collected by the research firm Forrester in its report 'Predictions 2024: Exploration Generates Progress' is clear: the reputation of social media is deteriorating worldwide, largely explaining the decline in engagement on social platforms.
Artificial Intelligence: one of the contributing factors
From automatic content moderation to personalized recommendations, advertising targeting, or visual creation, artificial intelligence (AI) has undeniably redefined the way we interact on social media, as explained by Forbes magazine. However, such a surge in AI significantly contributes to the exodus from social platforms.
Indeed, despite the widespread popularity of artificial intelligence in our society, users have not fully placed their trust in this technology, and this is particularly true on social media! AI currently presents a set of challenges, limitations, and biases, generating many complex ethical and legal questions. Many users are concerned, especially about the possibility of companies, organizations, or government entities using AI to manipulate them.
How to adapt to disengagement on social media?
First, let's clarify something important: users will not abandon social media overnight. Instead, they will be less active and tend to turn to platforms more focused on messaging and videos, such as Messenger, Snapchat, or TikTok.
According to HootSuite, such a trend will lead to a significant decrease in the number of organic posts for businesses. However, the number of personal interactions on social media is expected to remain unchanged, especially regarding private messages. This is noticeable on Instagram, where many users (mostly from Generation Z) share content in more closed circles using close friend lists or alternative accounts.
This reality poses a challenge for social media marketing specialists, who will find it more difficult to track brand engagement in private messages. However, it is also a great opportunity to redefine the purpose of your social media and see them more as a customer service platform!
Investing in new forms of communication in 2024
The gradual disengagement of internet users on social media opens the door to brand-new opportunities for innovation and breaking away from traditional approaches by focusing on other forms of communication, such as messaging or videos! Before changing your communication strategy, it is essential to thoroughly analyze user behavior on your platforms to guide your decisions.
No doubt: 2024 will be the year of significant decisions for many organizations regarding the future of their social media! Are your investments in social media adapted to the amount of time your target audience spends on these platforms? It's more crucial than ever to ask yourself this question!
