I recently came across this Matt D’Avella video that’s largely an interview with Patreon co-founder and CEO Jack Conte. It really opened my eyes to something I’ve noticed with social media over the last decade: it’s become less about friends and more about content and has become a new form of tabloid style entertainment.
The most unexpected stat they talk about is from the recent antitrust case against Meta, where Mark Zuckerberg revealed that only seven percent of activity on Instagram involves viewing content produced by friends. They talk about how social media has shifted to selling lifestyles, and how we end up consuming what affirms our hobbies, brand choices, politics, parenting beliefs and so on, ultimately building a neat little ideological bubble for ourselves.
W3 – The Emergence of Not So Social Media
Posted in KNOWLEDGE MILL, and Mobile Culture
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I find this to be very true! Social media has shifted away from being about connection and more about content, lifestyle, and entertainment. Personally, I rarely post because I’m wary of my photo being misused online. Instead, I mostly “ghost watch,” and I’ve noticed that platforms feel more like ad machines than social spaces. The scariest part is the targeted advertising — if I search for something on Google or Amazon, it shows up on Instagram, and if I don’t buy it, I’ll even get email notifications about it later. (titled “did you miss something?”)
This shift raises big questions about whether social media is still “social” at all. As you mention, there’s less engagement with friends’ content and more algorithm-driven consumption that creates ideological bubbles. I see this in younger people too: they often prefer sending direct messages rather than posting publicly, which might be their way of staying “social” while avoiding the curated, performative side of platforms. To me, this highlights how mobile culture is less about dialogue and more about data, which is both fascinating and unsettling.
That’s such an interesting point! I’ve also noticed how social media has shifted away from being about our friends and moved toward polished content. In the early days, it felt like a place to stay connected with people you already knew. Now, platforms push content creators and influencers, which makes it feel more like entertainment media than a social network.
The statistic you mentioned—that only seven percent of Instagram activity is tied to friends—is really telling. It shows how these apps are designed less around connection and more around engagement. I think a big reason for this shift is that being an influencer has become a real job. Once likes and views became monetized, people started producing content not just for fun, but as a career. That business model rewards attention, not genuine connection.
While it’s true that this helps us discover communities that match our interests, it also creates those ideological “bubbles” you mentioned. On one hand, it feels good to find people who share the same hobbies or values, but on the other, it risks narrowing our view of the world.
I think one question worth asking is: how can we use these platforms in ways that build real relationships and avoid being trapped in just entertainment or echo chambers?
Great find! Reminds me of the concept of “en-shit-ification”, coined by Cory Doctorow , that describes how tech companies go through a decline in the quality of their product in a three-step process; lock users in with a good product, abuse users by tempting businesses to financialize the products through ads or other channels, and finally claw back value from end-users and businesses alike, leaving the product a shell of what it once was. A great study of the progressing culture of different technology advancements through capitalism! I’ll post the video as my own “Mobile Culture” resource mind on the blog, but here’s a shortcut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ai-fC-2Bpo