50% users may shun social media by 2025

Digital Detoxification

• Concern over GenAI impact on social media high
• GenAI integration into social media will harm user experience

New Delhi: The spread of misinformation, toxic user bases and the prevalence of bots are the reasons why more than 50 per cent of consumers will either abandon or significantly limit their interactions with social media by 2025. A Gartner survey found that 53 per cent of consumers believe the current state of social media has decayed compared to either the prior year or to five years ago.

Concern about the impact of anticipated GenAI use in social media is high and over 7 in 10 consumers agree that greater integration of GenAI into social media will harm user experience. “Social media remains the top investment channel for digital marketing, but consumers are actively trying to limit their use,” said Emily Weiss, Senior Principal Researcher in the Gartner Marketing Practice.

“A significant slice says that, compared to a few years ago, they are sharing less of their own lives and content. As the nature of social media use and the experience of the platforms changes, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) must refocus their customer acquisition and loyalty retention strategies in response,” Weiss added.