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The Era of 'Social' Media is Over. Welcome to 'Recommendation' Media

The Era of 'Social' Media is Over. Welcome to 'Recommendation' Media

Do you remember when you used to log onto Instagram or Facebook specifically to see what your actual, real-life friends were doing? You'd see photos of their vacations, their dogs, or what they had for lunch.

That version of the internet is dead. We have officially transitioned from "Social Media" to "Recommendation Media."

The TikTok Effect

TikTok completely rewired how we consume content online. Instead of showing you a feed based on who you follow (the social graph), it shows you a feed based on what the algorithm thinks will keep you watching (the interest graph).

  • You don't matter: It doesn't matter if you have zero followers. If you post a highly engaging video, the algorithm will push it to millions of strangers.
  • Friends are pushed aside: Instagram panicked and copied TikTok with Reels. Now, you open the app and 80% of what you see is random creators you don't follow, doing viral dances or talking to a microphone in their car.

The "Social" part is gone. These apps are now essentially personalized, infinite television channels.

This has made it incredibly hard to actually keep up with friends online. It's why so many of us have retreated into private group chats on WhatsApp or iMessage. We don't want to broadcast to the world anymore; we just want a place to share a meme with three people who actually know us.

Are you spending more time on group chats now instead of posting publicly? Because it feels like the golden age of public posting is entirely behind us.

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