People Posting on Social Media Less Often, Surveys Find

Lots of people still check their social media accounts every day, but fewer are posting anything, The Wall Street Journal reports. Many social media users now favor a more passive experience, surveys find. 

A report from data-intelligence company Morning Consult revealed that people say they’ve become more guarded about sharing details of their lives online. Among U.S. adult respondents with a social media account, 61% said they’ve grown more selective about what they post. 

Meanwhile, a perceived decay in the quality of social media platforms will drive 50% of consumers to abandon or significantly limit their interactions with social media by 2025, according to research firm Gartner, Inc.

In response, Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok are investing in private user experiences such as messaging. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said the app’s users are mostly using its direct-messaging feature. The companies are making interactions more secure and encouraging people to post to an intimate audience. 

In a survey from Gartner, more than half of respondents say the quality of social media has deteriorated in the past five years. They cite toxicity, misinformation, bots, ads and suggested posts as reasons. Cassius Hudson, a 31-year-old pharmacist in Columbus, Ohio, says he lost interest in social media because he felt pressured to look a certain way in his posts. 

Recent events, such as the Israel-Hamas war, have made people reluctant to share their views publicly, for fear of judgment and retribution, says Pamela Rutledge, director of the independent Media Psychology Research Center.

Isaiah Hug, a 24-year-old Marine officer in Carlsbad, Calif., says he hasn’t posted to Instagram for more than a year. “I don’t need to add more friction to my life and have people bickering about who I voted for or what I think,” he says.