Social media doesn’t feel like a connection anymore and I hate that
When I first got into social media almost a decade ago, I focused on connecting with my family and real friends. I hate the drastic change since then to promoting ads, influencers and livestreams so much that I have largely abandoned those platforms.
There are endless ads
I’m tired of the constant ads on social media. I used to be able to scroll through Instagram posts and stories and check on friends without being bombarded with ads. Now I get ads all the time. Sometimes these ads are also a little trickier because they look like an actual Instagram story from someone I follow.
I also left TikTok for a while because with every other video I was getting an ad for different products on the TikTok Shop. I’m so tired of content for BeachWavers, slippers and Dyson AirWrap dupes. Even though I kept manually adding feedback that I wasn’t interested in this type of content, TikTok eventually started showing it to me again.
Even Snapchat is not immune to ads. I used to watch various pop culture or makeup videos on Snapchat, but the constant unskippable ads made me leave Snapchat for Locket.
Staged/fake content is a problem
Facebook and Snapchat are the worst offenders when it comes to staged and fake content. During my annual Facebook review, I’m always recommended 20-minute clickbait videos that try to be inspirational, but are often too long and painfully staged.
There are also a lot of cooking videos that have to be rage bait (content designed to enrage others to engage). I’ve seen several versions of the viral oven-baked pasta on Snapchat, where people throw uncooked macaroni, two blocks of Velveeta cheese, milk, and some spices into the oven. Remember when Snapchat was just a simple platform with the sole purpose of sending daily photos to your friends? Those were the days.
I see content from influencers all the time
Aside from the constant ads, I find that when I go to explore pages on Instagram or TikTok, I mostly see content from influencers. I don’t have a problem with influencing as a side hustle or full-time job, but it bothers me when the social media platforms I use mainly show me influencers posting product reviews, ads, or documenting all-expenses-paid vacations. in exchange for a video.
I am not among their target audience because the content is not related to my interests in the slightest. I don’t mind seeing a review of brand new makeup every now and then, but when that’s all I see, I’m ready to cut my losses and leave the platform for good.
Posts from my friends and family are not prioritized
When I open Instagram, instead of seeing posts from my friends or family, I’m met with a long line of celebrities. Celebrity content seems to be prioritized at the top of my feed, even though I follow very few of those accounts. The same issue occurs when I try to view Instagram stories.
I originally downloaded these social media platforms to keep up with friends I don’t see everyday, but it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack looking for content posted by my friends. I also don’t like to spend a lot of time on social media, so I usually leave the app instead of sticking around and looking for what I originally wanted to see.
There are too many strange lives
TikTok promoting live streams was a big reason why I stopped my hour-long scrolling on the app. Some may argue that TikTok Lives is ruining the app.
When I was a frequent user of TikTok, I saw some of the weirdest live streams. A remarkable live stream featured a person carefully pulling pieces of shell off an egg without breaking the egg’s membrane. Another weird live stream showed a person stringing a ton of rubber bands around a watermelon in an attempt to make the fruit explode.
These lives had tens of thousands of viewers at any given time with active chats and lots of virtual gifts. Even though I kept telling the app that I wasn’t interested in this content, I still see it frequently when scrolling.
The app is constantly pushing paid subscriptions
icon and enhancing your stories” src=”https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/screenshot-2024-10-23-at-12-11-21-pm-1.png” style=”display:block;height:auto;max-width:100%;”/> Finally, a lot of social media apps now push for paid subscriptions to unlock more features or remove ads. A Snapchat Plus subscription gives users a mostly ad-free experience with profile badges and new customization options for $40 a year. At this rate, I manage to send photos via text, email, or use a new app like Locket.
Meta has also launched a subscription that limits ads on the platform across Europe, but the Meta subscription doesn’t seem to be worth it either. Even though it will be available in the US, I’m not paying to limit ads on Instagram and Facebook when I barely use those sites anymore. I left X/Twitter long before the launch of X Premium, a subscription that gives users a verified tick to prioritize their replies and remove ads.
Social media has changed so much over the last decade. In 2010, social media was free, with limited ads, and served as a place to connect with friends and family. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are almost unrecognizable anymore as they have focused on prioritizing influencer content, ads and paid subscriptions.