In every relationship, there comes a time when it really hits home just how much effort is required to make it last. Sometimes, it just isn’t worth it.
Our collective honeymoon with social media is now a distant memory. Regardless of what platforms you’ve used as a business, a professional, and personally, the notion has almost certainly now crossed your mind more than once: How much more do I put up with? What would I lose if I were to walk away? What would I gain?
What was once a fun frolic has turned cynical, political, and sometimes even toxic. Choosing to have your brand — corporate, professional, or personal — appear on any individual platform is at least a tacit endorsement of it. Meta (Facebook, Instagram), X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok each have sometimes questionable track records and controls, as well as ownerships that some view as problematic. In response to some revelations and policy changes at these and other platforms, some individuals have walked away, deactivating accounts and uninstalling apps from their devices.
Companies have stopped advertising on X, and reduced posting frequency. Others have considered making changes but couldn’t quite flip the switch.
If you spend even occasional amounts of time on any of these platforms, you’ve likely noticed a change in how you and those you follow use it — fewer interactions, less posting, and/or more watching of videos. And nearly everyone now recognizes that social media can have negative impacts.
So, are we trapped in an abusive relationship?
Breaking up is hard to do
If you quit a platform, how do you ensure your account and/or brand is not taken over by someone else? (When you walk out on your ex, you won’t be welcomed back like nothing happened.) There is an immediate and irretrievable loss in brand value.
But there is also a cost to staying, and it is rising. To make a dent in the collective consciousness of social media, it requires enormous creative energy and strategic purpose. Video is paramount. Entertainment is crucial. It is relentless.
As with all content, success hinges on understanding your specific audience on each channel and their needs — and they’re all unique. What works on TikTok, isn’t what works best on YouTube, X, SnapChat, LinkedIn, or even Facebook and Instagram. Different kinds of people turn to each of these platforms for different reasons. To reach them, do you need to devise separate strategies? Or do you cut your losses on some and focus on others? What is the opportunity cost of pursuing social media marketing over other forms of marketing?
Staying also comes with risk. Posting on a platform you don’t control always has had pitfalls, but those are now more evident than ever. A change in algorithm can instantly dissolve performance. (Apparently a social media company can change its name and decide to just take over an account with that name that had been held for 16 years, with no real compensation, or seize any they want.) Do you pay to keep your blue or gold check mark? Will you pay to use the service at all?
There are no easy answers, and certainly no choice will be the same for each person or brand. We are all walking a line on shifting terrain. So how has your approach to social media changed? Because it’s definitely not the same as even two or three years ago.