The golden age of social media is over, and smart brands are already moving on

The era of social media as we’ve known it is over, and marketers clinging to its old rules are already falling behind.

Once hailed as the future of connection, platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) are becoming something else entirely: algorithmic entertainment feeds chasing attention, rather than meaningful engagement.

Even The New Yorker recently declared that “social media is over.” And Meta’s own data agrees: Time spent viewing friends’ posts has dropped sharply on both Facebook and Instagram. During the antitrust trial over the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against Meta, CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that people’s time spent on Facebook and Instagram has “gone down meaningfully.”

Further, X’s user growth is stalling. From November 2022, when Elon Musk took over, to February 2024, its user base shrunk by 23%, according to SensorTower.

The data reflects changing consumer behavior and attitudes toward social media usage that advertisers are taking note of, while looking at the opportunities of the open web.

A McCrindle survey found that 82% of Gen Z students agree they spend too much time online, and 65% say it has a negative effect on their mental health. Another McCrindle survey found that over 83% of Gen Z individuals have taken steps to reduce their social media usage, with 57% expressing a wish that social networking did not exist at all.

Industry leaders have been raising similar concerns for months, pointing to overcrowded social feeds and declining user engagement as signs that the traditional model of social media is losing its effectiveness.

Indeed, as consumer attention fragments, media consumption patterns are shifting toward more intentional, high-quality environments.

Streaming video, digital audio and retail media are seeing consistent growth as audiences seek curated experiences over algorithmic feeds.

This migration opens new opportunities for advertisers to reach consumers in contexts that are more aligned with their interests, purchase intent and content preferences.

How brands are responding

As traditional feeds lose relevance, brands are reevaluating how and where they build digital connections.

Marketers are expanding investment into premium environments across the open internet, including connected TV, digital audio, retail media and publisher-direct channels.

These environments not only offer greater transparency and brand safety but also allow for more strategic control across the funnel.

Increasingly, advertisers are adopting omnichannel approaches to reach audiences more holistically. Recent research shows that campaigns activated across five or more channels can achieve conversion rates nearly four times higher compared to single-channel campaigns.

Cross-device activation alone can drive 3.5 times lift in conversion rates, highlighting the advantages of an integrated strategy that meets consumers throughout their digital journeys.

At the same time, the ability to activate against first-party data has become a strategic differentiator. As third-party cookies lack durability and consistency across the ecosystem, advertisers are turning to identity solutions and durable IDs to build robust audience strategies.

This ensures that omnichannel activations are not only scalable but also future-proofed — enabling marketers to connect with audiences across screens with greater precision and control.

Another area gaining significant traction is retail data, which is increasingly powering strategies across the full customer journey and is especially useful for advertisers that lack their own first-party data.

This shift is influencing how marketers prioritize transparency, identity-driven targeting and measurement tied directly to business outcomes.

Solutions that can unify audience engagement across channels, optimize performance in real time and maintain clear visibility into results are becoming central to digital strategies.

Omnichannel success on the open web

Marketers are placing greater emphasis on owned and operated channels, such as newsletters and community platforms — not just as alternatives to social, but as foundational sources of first-party data.

These direct relationships help enrich customer insights, which in turn strengthen audience strategies across programmatic campaigns.

This approach is often complemented by programmatic access to high-quality media across the open internet.

Omnichannel strategies are moving from a “nice to have” to a “need to have,” as advertisers seek to future-proof their customer relationships and drive more meaningful performance outcomes.

As the social media era evolves, the open internet is emerging as the primary arena for building sustainable, high-value connections. Omnichannel engagement now sits at the core of modern marketing success.

The Current is owned and operated by The Trade Desk Inc.