Social Media Hasn’t Peaked, It’s Correcting

The Financial Times recently asked: 'Have we passed the peak of social media?'

My answer: No. What we’re seeing isn’t the end. It’s a correction – and a healthy one. It’s also worth noting that the article’s data didn’t include TikTok. Leaving that out skews the picture dramatically.

Social media isn’t going anywhere, because it still fulfils two of our most fundamental human needs: the urge to perform and the need to connect. On one hand, it gives us a performative community — a place to show the world who we are, what we’re doing, and where we belong, the modern-day version of keeping up with the Joneses. On the other, it offers instant communication — fast, frictionless ways to organise, share, and stay in touch.

Even as more people spend time offline, they’re still using social media to make those moments happen and to share them afterwards. You rally friends through WhatsApp groups. You coordinate parties on apps like Partyful. You post the highlights back on Instagram or TikTok. Social is the infrastructure that connects our online and offline lives.

Performative community is evolving, and it’s not as shallow as it once was.

We’ve always seen it on Instagram, showing the world your best moments, but there’s a subtle shift happening. I’ll admit, I’m guilty of it too. Hosting dinners, sharing group shots, posting that “community” energy online. But it’s not just about proving you have friends anymore. It’s about what you do together.

The new form of performative community has more substance. It’s not just brunch photos or mirror selfies. It’s people documenting things like dinner parties, group hikes, pottery nights, or art workshops - activities that reflect belonging, creativity, and connection.

These are moments designed to signal something deeper. I have people. I do meaningful things. I’m part of something. Because in a world where fewer people are marrying, having children, or finding belonging through religion, these small community rituals have become a form of modern identity. And naturally, they’re still being shared online, just with a different tone and intention.

Then there’s instant communication, the second pillar that guarantees social’s longevity.

The way we communicate has changed massively, but the need hasn’t. We used to post 200-photo Facebook albums after every holiday or night out. Now we send disappearing DMs, share 10-minute voice notes, or FaceTime while cooking dinner. We coordinate parties through apps like Partyful, plan holidays entirely on WhatsApp, and send memes as shorthand for “I’m thinking of you.”

That’s all still social media. It’s just more private, more dynamic, and more human. People might not post as much, but they’re using social more than ever, just in smaller, more intentional ways.

The public feeds may have quieted, but the private channels are buzzing. The heart of social interaction has simply moved from public performance to micro-community connection.

So no, social media hasn’t peaked. It’s maturing.

The novelty has worn off, and that’s a good thing. We’re recalibrating from 24/7 doom-scrolling and endless posting to something more sustainable, more social, and more meaningful.

For users, it means more time offline and more intention online. For brands, it means showing up in a way that adds to culture instead of interrupting it.

The real story isn’t decline. It’s evolution. We don’t need to spend every waking hour on social for it to matter. We just need to use it in a way that feels more real.

Danielle Dullaghan is the social strategy director for Iris