Youths are posting less and less on social media, apparently deterred by too spiffy stuff shared by the influencers, a study has claimed.
According to a report by Morning Consult, a marketing research firm, nearly 3 in 10 social media users have reduced their posting activity compared to the previous year.
The company's findings were revealed in a survey it conducted in September, involving 2,125 US adults with at least one social media account.
The findings indicate a need for social media platforms to find new ways to enable users to share posts among close connections.
Younger users, especially from Generation Z, led the user base which is reducing their post sharing.
Among the surveyed age groups, 20 per cent of millennials expressed likelihood to post about everyday activities, a higher percentage compared to Gen Z and Gen Xer adults at 13 per cent, and baby boomers at 6 per cent.
The study argued that decline among Gen Z's inclination to post was influenced by a curated feed, too good to be surpassed by their own rough-hewn stuff.
Concerns about social media's impact on well-being contribute to 27 per cent with mental health cited as reason for reduced posting, highlighted a US surgeon general's report in May.
The downward trend has sent tech companies rushing to create new platforms to spark more posts. But Threads, Lemon8, and BeReal are struggling to keep users interested
According to a Business Insider report, in 2022, Tati Bruening, a 22-year-old, initiated a movement, 'Make Instagram Instagram Again,' speaking out against Instagram's changes that favoured suggested videos over chronological posts. The campaign gained support, including from Kylie Jenner, eventually leading the Meta-owned platform to reverse its emphasis on suggested content.
The decline in Gen Zs' posting is concerning for social networks, given that public activity from this group is crucial for attracting brand investment.
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok may increasingly rely on influencer content to offset the decline in widely shared content, emphasising the urgency for platforms to enhance ad revenue sharing and creator fund payouts. Data from a 2022 report by Linktree reveals that only 12 per cent of full-time creators make more than $50,000 annually.
Social media giants Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube generated a combined advertising revenue of nearly $11 billion from users under 18 in the US in 2022, reveals a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
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