Is your marketing strategy being hit by social media fatigue? And what can you do about it?

For many years now, social media has a central focus in pretty much every brand’s marketing strategy. But have we reach peak social media saturation?

According to recent research by GWI for the Financial Times, we’re spending less time on social media than we were two years ago. This drop is most pronounced among teens and people in their 20s – people who were, historically, the heaviest users – signalling a growing sense of content fatigue and selectivity online.

Top Marketing Agency explain how marketers and brands need to adapt to this changing user behaviour.

Ket social media trends

Decline in active engagement: Use of social media for staying in touch with friends, self-expression, or meeting new people has dropped more than 25% since 2014.
Shift to reflexive browsing: Users increasingly open apps to fill spare time rather than with a specific purpose, reflecting a move from mindful engagement to mindless scrolling.
Time spent overall: Across developed markets, daily social app usage fell by almost 10% between 2022 and 2024.
Audience implications: Younger demographics, previously the most active, are becoming more selective, indicating that engagement strategies may need to pivot from quantity to quality-focused interactions.
Regional exception: North America bucks the trend, with social media usage increasing by 15% over Europe, driven by extreme rhetoric, engagement bait, and low-quality content.

UK social media trends

In 2022, average daily time spent on social media in the UK increased steadily from 1 hour 45 minutes in 2014 to 2 hours 31 minutes.
From 2023 onward, daily usage began to decline, dropping to 2 hours 23 minutes in 2023 and 2 hours 21 minutes in 2024.
This represents a decrease of approximately 10 minutes per day over two years, signalling the start of social media fatigue among UK users.

Why is social media fatigue growing?

There are a number of reasons why social media fatigue is growing. Here are the key ones:

Information overload: We are bombarded with content daily, leading to mental exhaustion and selective engagement.
Low-quality content: The prevalence of clickbait, extreme rhetoric, and repetitive posts is reducing perceived value and trust.
Shift in user intent: We are moving from purposeful, social interactions to reflexive scrolling to fill idle moments.
Privacy concerns: Growing awareness of data collection and digital tracking is prompting more cautious usage.
Platform saturation: With multiple apps competing for attention, we are becoming more selective in where we spend our time.
Changing lifestyle priorities: Younger audiences, especially teens and 20-somethings, are prioritising offline activities and more intentional digital habits.

How can brands improve social media engagement?

Here are some ways that brands can improve their social media engagement:

Focus on meaningful, value-driven content rather than high-volume posting.
Use polls, questions, challenges, and calls-to-action that prompt users to engage actively.
Share real stories, behind-the-scenes content, or user-generated content to build trust and connection.
Create visually compelling, short-form content that fits users’ limited attention spans.
Foster niche communities, groups, or brand ambassadors to drive deeper, ongoing engagement.
Track engagement patterns to understand what resonates, then iterate quickly to stay relevant.
Combine informative posts with entertaining or inspirational content to maintain interest.

Just having a presence isn’t enough any more

Social media fatigue is real and hitting a lot of people, especially younger audiences. While more people may be signing up for platforms, in reality they are spending less time actually scrolling and engaging.

Part of the reason for this is that we are getting overwhelmed by all the content out there. Low-quality or repetitive posts make scrolling feel like a chore, and a lot of us are opening apps just to fill time instead of to connect or discover.

As a result, just having a social media presence isn’t enough anymore. Instead, companies need to find ways to grab attention in a way that feels meaningful and not just another post in a feed.

Brands that create content that feels useful, fun, or authentic are the ones that stand out and keep people interested. So focus on ways to get people involved rather than just watching. Ask for their opinions, challenge them, and build communities. Help people feel seen and part of something.

Tell stories that are real, relatable, and entertaining to help your brand stay on people’s radar. By making your content engaging and authentic, you won’t just hold attention but also build trust and loyalty over time.