Does anyone else feel like social media has become impossible to enjoy casually anymore?

Every platform now feels like:

build your brand
optimize engagement
post consistently
become a creator

I miss when people posted random thoughts, bad selfies, food pics, memes, and disappeared for a week without worrying about algorithms.

Now even normal conversations feel scripted for engagement.

Sometimes it feels like we’re all doing unpaid marketing work without realizing it.

Do you think social media genuinely changed people… or did algorithms slowly train everyone to behave this way?

Comments

mo-builds•about 2 months ago•1

I feel this so deeply. Everything has become a 'performance' or a 'brand-building' exercise. We’ve lost the joy of just sharing a moment and moving on with our lives.

I’m actually building a small app called OneOne specifically to fight this. It limits you to just one post a day and then encourages you to put the phone down. No algorithms to feed, no pressure to be a 'creator' just a digital sanctuary for your real moments.

It’s refreshing to see others missing that 'post and disappear' vibe. We need to reclaim our digital peace.

Minimum-Drive-9807•about 2 months ago•1

social media used to be people posting blurry concert pics. now everyone looks like they’re auditioning for a brand deal and a netflix documentary at the same time.

FlashyAverage26•about 2 months ago•1

honestly i think algorithms slowly trained people into thinking every post should “perform”

once likes, reach, followers, and engagement became visible metrics, casual posting slowly started feeling like publishing instead of just sharing

bliish•about 2 months ago•1

I also felt the same way so I made bliish.com and members really like the 'authentic' no-AI, no bots and no algorithm aspect of it

TheViralSauce•about 2 months ago•1

If you are posting random thoughts to your friends, why would it need to perform? why are you expecting your friends to derive value out of everything you post? On the other hand, if you post to make a living, it is litterally your job to bring something of value to your audience, no matter what it is, and even with this, not every post need to perform the same.
It's ok to not go viral because you just posted yourself having a coffee.

Best_Classie•about 2 months ago•1

Remember YouTube used to be just a platform for tutorials to teach people to do certain things? Facebook was for friends connecting to each other. It's people's behavior changed social media and algorithms...

Salviafun•about 2 months ago•1

It’s the algorithm and competition. In the mid 2000s when YouTube was new and social media wasn’t even a word people just posted videos to YouTube for fun. People still wanted the highest amount of views possible on MySpace and stuff but it was all just for fun as nobody was getting paid for going viral

nivetha_murali•about 2 months ago•1

A bit of both, honestly. Algorithms reward attention-grabbing behavior, and people adapt fast to whatever gets visibility. What started as social connection slowly became performance, because likes, reach, and validation changed the incentive structure. The funny part is most users never signed up to be creators, yet platforms keep nudging everyone in that direction. Casual posting feels rare now because authenticity often gets filtered through “will this perform?”

Puzzleheaded-Walk426•about 2 months ago•1

Well, if your goal is to promote a brand or build your audience, then yes. But if you're just entering a normal conversation (like I did just now on your post), nothing is stopping you from being yourself. And I think it will be even more appreciated in the near future.

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