The Collapse of Social Media Isn't a Crisis—It's Time for a Reset

How we're moving from mass broadcasting back to genuine connection

So here we are. Social media is dead. And honestly? I'm not even sad about it.

In fact, as I'm writing this, Instagram just announced a suite of new features focused entirely on connecting with friends rather than chasing viral content. The timing couldn't be more perfect.

Don't get me wrong—I've spent the last decade building my career on these platforms. I've managed campaigns for major brands, grown followings from zero to millions, and helped companies navigate the ever-changing algorithms. But lately, I've been watching something shift. Something fundamental.

The breakfast posts are gone. You know the ones I mean—those perfectly imperfect snapshots of daily life that used to fill our feeds. Your friend's coffee cup. Your neighbor's garden update. Those little moments that made social media actually... social.

When Social Stopped Being Social

Kyle Chayka explored this shift in a recent interview, noting that "The platforms have deprioritized the content from normal people and these kind of mundane breakfast posts." We're not seeing our friends anymore. We're watching influencers, consuming news headlines, and scrolling past AI-generated content that feels hollow and manufactured.

Think about your own posting habits. When's the last time you shared something genuinely personal? Most of us stopped doing that years ago, and we didn't even realize it was happening. We've even entered what internet culture expert Ryan Broderick calls the "post-viral" era. Can you name TikTok's most popular video of 2023? Most people can't—even massive viral content barely registers in our fragmented attention landscape.

Here's what's really telling: while individual posting continues to decline across major platforms, private messaging is absolutely exploding. WhatsApp now boasts over 2 billion monthly active users and has finally conquered the US market.

"You don't share personal moments in feed today, the way you did five or 10 years ago. You share them in stories or in messages more so." - Adam Mosseri, Instagram Head

The platforms succeeded at becoming mass media with a friendly mask. Every post was designed for the largest possible audience, chasing follower counts and engagement metrics. That's not social. That's broadcasting with a comment section.

The Rise of Cozy Media

While the old social media model crumbles, something new is emerging. As New Scientist recently explored, researchers call it "cozy media": apps and platforms designed for small groups of trusted friends rather than mass audiences.

Think about apps like Retro, where you're not competing with influencers or algorithms. You're just sharing moments with people who actually know you. It's the difference between throwing a dinner party and performing on stage.

We're all hungry for real community, for conversations that matter, for connections that extend beyond the screen. That's what inspired me to rethink how we engage online, and what motivates my work today. And it's exactly why I stopped just theorizing about this shift and started doing something about it.

This realization led Tywana and me to launch our monthly "Innovators Roast" meetup. We saw how hollow digital networking had become and wanted to create something real—a space where local entrepreneurs could connect face-to-face, share genuine challenges, and build authentic relationships.

The response has been incredible. People want to support local businesses not because an algorithm told them to, but because they know the person behind the brand.

We're seeing this everywhere: Facebook groups, Discord servers, apps like Ravelry for knitting enthusiasts. People are retreating to what researchers call the "cozy web": private but not isolated spaces where genuine connection can flourish without performing for strangers.

Why Local is the New Viral

Video will continue to dominate the remaining social platforms, but even they're starting to pivot. Instagram's latest announcement today includes a new "Friends" tab in Reels where you can see what your actual friends are enjoying, not just algorithmic recommendations. They're adding location sharing with chosen friends and repost features that prioritize your circle over viral reach.

The platforms themselves are finally acknowledging what we've known all along: people want to connect with people they actually know, not perform for strangers. They're turning these entertainment channels back into social spaces, even if incrementally.

Meanwhile, real social connections are happening in group chats, local meetups, and small communities built on shared interests and genuine care.

This opens incredible opportunities for local businesses and community builders. As people step away from algorithmic audiences, they're rediscovering authentic, local connections. They want the butcher who remembers their order, the bakery where they know your name, the coffee shop that feels like home.

"Social media was this aberration in a way... this idea that every normal person should share their life in public was kind of flawed from the beginning." - Kyle Chayka

The future of marketing isn't about chasing viral moments or gaming algorithms. It's about building genuine relationships and telling authentic stories that resonate with real communities.

The future isn't about going backward. It's about going deeper. Quality over quantity. Authenticity over aspiration. Community over commodity.

Final Thoughts

Social media isn't dead because it failed—it's dead because it succeeded too well at becoming something it was never supposed to be. It became mass media, complete with all the isolation and commodification that comes with it.

But we don't need to mourn its death. We need to celebrate what's being born in its place: smaller communities, deeper connections, local relationships that actually matter.

The peak has passed. The transition is happening. And honestly? The future looks a lot more human than what we're leaving behind.

What do you think? Are you feeling this shift away from traditional social media? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Let's have a real conversation about what authentic connection looks like in 2025.