Is social media finally dying?

Yes, I’m writing about social media again

Like many of you on this website or app, I no longer am using almost any social media. Some of that is directly related to the events of November 5, 2024 (remember, remember the 5th of November now has meaning for Americans who know nothing of Guy Fawkes Day.) Some of it…meh, not so much.

And more and more I am having people I know in real life saying the same thing. But is this an end or turning point for social media?

Not even close. Aside from myself I’ve heard of very few people eschewing TikTok, although that may get shut down under Trump. But besides TikTok being relatively unaffected by most people taking a break from social media, the fact of the matter is that most of the rest of the world is not taking a break because of political results in the US.

And while X is hemorrhaging users, there are still enough people using the Meta apps to communicate with family members (especially older ones on the book of face) or run a business that most people’s breaks or fasts will be short lived. I mean, who will really be able to live without posting their holiday decorations or kids’ holiday performances.

That being said, I do think some will choose to abandon social media full stock and many will re-evaluate their use of it. One friend said she is going to unfollow all her friends on Facebook and intentionally visit some of their pages periodically. A co-worker plans to only use Insta for animal videos. I can see some folks limiting their time on apps or removing them from their phones and only logging into desktop versions.

I am finding myself not wondering what people are doing and also grabbing my phone so much less. I sleep better because of my lack of rage scrolling.

While it isn’t the end, maybe for some of us it can be a bright beginning.