Social Media Landscape 2025
I’m sick of social media, and I’m stuck with it.
The year is 2025 and the state of human interaction is at a crossroads, and we’ve been here before. The social Internet reinvents itself every decade and 5 years post pandemic the reconfiguration has solidified.
For the better the Internet continues to be a place of discovery, entertainment and shared zeitgeist. For the worse it is a terrible conveyance of current events, in-depth analysis or public discourse. Some aspects such as personal posturing and AI generated content may have irrevocably broken things.
What Still Works
Short-Form Video
The original TikTok format struck a nerve and made the format work. TikTok wasn’t the first, but its algorithm was able to serve up engaging content in rapid succession. It was incredibly satisfying and mildly addictive.
Critics say that it shortened attention spans, but that trend was already underway thanks to microblogging and sound bite style news reporting. The difference was that TikTok’s algorithm, and backlog of content, kept us scrolling for hours.
Instagram has largely displaced TikTok with established content creators. I still enjoy discovering random creators on TikTok. Ironically TikTok “messed with the formula” when it introduced longer videos.
Long-form Video
On YouTube the average 5–20-minute video dominates longish video content. The automatic video chapters feature makes it easy to skip around and back to important parts. These videos are typically more polished, but many feature content creators simply sitting in front of a camera or sharing their screen. Likewise, most podcasts now provide a video form that’s almost always superior the audio only
Long-form writing
Substack didn’t invent the newsletter, but the platform made it accessible at a time when everyone was weary of short-form writing and coincidentally had ample time on their hands. More importantly SubStack makes social discovery and sharing easy via Notes. I’ve found, and supported, so many unique authors over the the years.
Notes, a way to recommend content
Short form writing
Most types of short-form writing and threaded comments are mostly NOT useful. The implosion of Twitter scattered that platforms bad behavior to other places like Mastodon, Bluesky and Threads. There is little joy in doomscrolling these sites and worse they encourage a type of slacktivism that is neither effective nor healthy.
“Professional” microblogging on LinkedIn is, at best, a cross-congratulatory mechanism and platform for shameless self-promotion. At worst, it’s a great way to tank a career by posting less than professional hot takes on a troll post.
Broadcast Channels, a direct line to followers
The lone exception is Instagram Broadcast Channels which allows content creators to send messages directly to followers. No public replies are allowed to it is a clean way to communicate short posts directly with subscribers. I’ve joined several during sporting events and found it a pleasant way to stay up to date without the reply spam.
Where Machines Can’t Go (Yet)
AI content generation will continue to debase quick, easy to produce content. Microblogging’s reach, as a format, is mostly dead as engagement numbers indicate. You are shouting into the void.
Quick hit video content will continue to thrive but need to be direct to the point and eye catching. Sadly, a bit like a Buzzfeed article.
Long form video content with large editing demand is probably not a high ROI unless you have a huge subscriber base. Less polished videos easily go viral and platforms like TikTok and Instagram make it easier to record a quick video.
Writers with something to say might want to start a newsletter. These days everyone has a Substack. The platform makes it easy to manage posts, subscribers and even has an option to export subscribers in the event you outgrow the platform. Chances are you won’t, but if you are a good writer, you might cultivate a small following of highly engaged readers.
Reasonably Human
I base these opinions on my own experiments. I’ve created a few popular meme videos, including one that went slightly viral. I write a weekly substack of curated interesting reads. Nothing special and not a call for attention.
Moreso, I create a small amount of content as an attempt at credibility as a real human being. Before engaging online, I first check the account to see if it is blank or looks machine generated. Bot are everywhere and if it doesn’t look real, I refrain.
I want others to see my posts and realize it’s not AI generated crap. Overall, I hope that I appear reasonably human. Truthfully it is something that we should all strive for online and beyond.
