Social media is trying harder to get your attention

Social media platforms rn are like an ex around the holidays – showing up in notifications more often. According to new data reported by the WSJ, nearly every major social-media app has increased the number of its notifications since July 2023.

• Instagram is the worst offender, with users getting 12 more notifications in January compared with last July. Notifications from Snapchat, X, and Facebook have increased as well.

Inside the fabric of social media

The most important user metric for any social media platform that sells ads is time spent on the platform. And the reason why is simple: more time spent on the platform = more ads watched = more $ for the company.

Therefore, the reason for the increase in notifications is also simple: social media platforms want more user engagement. But the context behind this increase is where things get interesting.

Overall, social media users are posting less and instead opting for a more passive experience. In an October report from data-intelligence company Morning Consult, 61% of US adult respondents with a social-media account said they have become more selective about what they post.

And it’s not hard to see why. A survey conducted by research firm Gartner over the summer found more than half of respondents believed the quality of social media has declined in the past five years. They cited misinformation, toxicity, and the proliferation of bots as reasons it has gotten worse. An increase in ads and suggested posts didn’t help either.

Bottom line: How users interact with social media is changing. And platforms are trying to adapt accordingly.

• For example, data indicates that when recommending a movie or TV show to a friend, people are doing it more often in person or via text or email, and less often using social media. Enter: Meta and TikTok pulling a Yo Gotti and shifting more resources to build out direct messaging features (it's going down in the DM!).

The battle for attention and engagement is set to continue. But will users dig in or tune out? Some predict the latter. Per Gartner, 50% of users will either abandon or significantly limit their interactions with social media over the next two years.