There was a time when social media felt like a gift to creative professionals. A free portfolio. A global studio door, flung open. A place where your work could find its people without a gatekeeper in sight.
That time, by most accounts, is over. In this article, we share what members of the Creative Boom community really think about the state of social platforms today.
The conversation is raw, occasionally bitter, and surprisingly unanimous on one point: something fundamental has broken. You can read the full discussions on LinkedIn and our own private network, The Studio. (Not joined The Studio yet? Do it today; it’s free!)
The numbers don’t lie
Fontwerk founder Ivo Gabrowitsch frames the problem. “A ‘successful’ post today might reach 10% of followers,” he begins. “In my view, that means the concept of social media is simply dead.” It’s hard to argue with the logic. If you’re only experiencing a tenth of the thing you signed up for, what exactly are you participating in?
Type designer Jean François Porchez agrees, and sees Instagram as the worst offender for the design community. “Designers who publish every day are like dinosaurs who see their universe collapsing, without being able to do anything,” he says. “They continue hoping for something that won’t happen. User-created content just covers the gaps between ads!”
What comes through most from these discussions is a sense of fatigue, not just with the platforms, but with the broader expectation that creatives must also be content creators, audience builders and algorithm whisperers. As UX consultant Becky Colley puts it: “It’s not so much social media as the expectation that we’re all constantly online and available. I spend my days replying to Slack messages, Teams messages, in meetings, and on calls. Since social media stopped feeling fun, the last thing I want to do is spend my evenings and weekends continuing to connect with people through a screen.”
Creative director Paul Leon agrees, describing a system that has turned connection into obligation. “Social media has gone from something that connected, entertained and educated to feeling like a forced chore, an indentured servitude policed by the algorithm of profit,” he says. “Exhausting. Boring. Managed irrelevance. These are all terms I’d use to describe much of ‘social media’. When businesses transition from creating great products to just making money, it shows; whatever the business.”
For strategic brand designer Sophie O’Connor, it’s a constant to-and-fro of emotional whiplash. “Some days I feel totally inspired to create a post or reel and enjoy the process. Other days, it feels like a chore, as I’m scrabbling around for relevant ideas. There is so much pressure to be a content creator now, as the old ways of using social media don’t seem to work anymore. It’s exhausting but necessary—to keep you ‘top of mind’ and reaching new audiences.”
Necessary evil
One phrase, “necessary evil”, surfaces repeatedly in our discussions.