World Social Media Day got me thinking about social media and whether we have really stopped to think about what it has changed us into.
When social media first appeared, the idea was simple. It existed to help people connect with one another.
Around 31 years ago, Classmates launched so people could reconnect with old school friends and, not long after, the UK had its own version in Friends Reunited, which eventually grew to more than 24 million users and sold for £175 million.
Then came MySpace, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and everything in between.
Businesses largely sat on the sidelines while people used them to reconnect, share updates and stay in touch. Over time, that changed entirely.
Social media stopped being somewhere we visited
It stopped being somewhere we simply visited and became somewhere we lived. We now socialise there, buy there, research there, form opinions there and increasingly validate decisions there. It became woven into everyday behaviour and, for businesses in the right hands, that shift created one of the most powerful marketing tools ever built.
Entire businesses now exist because of social media. Some smaller brands have built loyal communities on Instagram before they even had a proper website, while others have launched through TikTok and gone from unknown to sold out almost overnight.
The ability to reach audiences directly without enormous resources has lowered barriers in a way that simply was not possible before.
Social media done properly can be powerful
And that does not just apply to consumer brands.
Some of the strongest B2B businesses in the world understand this exceptionally well. Take HubSpot, for example. Their content rarely feels like a constant demand to buy software. Instead they built authority by educating people through research, templates, practical insights and useful content. Long before someone starts actively comparing CRM platforms, HubSpot have often already built trust.
Even on a much smaller scale, we regularly see recruitment firms, consultants, finance businesses and agencies generating opportunities through LinkedIn because they openly discuss challenges they solve every day and consistently demonstrate expertise.
None of these businesses are trying to become influencers. They are becoming visible experts, and that is social media working exactly as it should.
Power without accountability
The problem is that the same thing which makes social media powerful also creates problems. The barriers to entry have never been lower and, while that creates opportunities, it also creates very little accountability.
Health supplements suddenly appear with miracle claims attached to them. Overnight experts emerge in almost every sector imaginable. Products and services promise life-changing outcomes and, in some cases, a few minutes of digging beneath the surface reveals that the reality does not quite match the content.
Even trust itself feels harder to navigate than it once did. Reviews used to feel like one of the safest forms of validation, but now many people actively question whether online reviews are genuine. The irony is that while social media has made information more accessible than ever, it has arguably made people more sceptical too.
The comparison never stops
And these changes go far beyond business.
Teenagers are growing up in a world where they are no longer comparing themselves to a small social circle at school or in their local area. They are comparing themselves to millions of carefully curated lives online, where appearance, popularity and success can feel permanently on display. If you are not wearing a White Fox hoodie, drinking Prime from a Stanley Cup while listening to Olivia Rodrigo, then who are you? Research has repeatedly linked heavy social media use with increased anxiety, depression and social comparison among young people, and while social media is obviously not solely responsible, it is difficult to argue that constant comparison has become a normal part of growing up.
The government’s recent announcement of a ban on social media for under-16s reflects just how serious this has become. Whatever your view on whether a blanket ban is the right mechanism, the fact that it has reached this point says a lot.
Adults are not much different, if we are being honest with ourselves. We post perfect holidays, perfect homes, perfect families and perfect businesses, carefully selecting the moments we want people to see until our lives slowly become highlight reels rather than reality.
When LinkedIn started feeling different
Eventually that behaviour spilled into LinkedIn too.
LinkedIn used to feel like a business platform but somewhere along the way, it has changed. There is a growing pressure to turn expertise into performance. Morning routines become content strategies, ice baths become leadership lessons, walks down the street become videos explaining five things a sandwich taught somebody about business. Family life, workouts and holidays increasingly blend into what was once a platform built primarily for professional credibility.
I completely understand the value of personal branding and I am a huge advocate of people positioning themselves as knowledgeable, connected and respected in their area of expertise. Showing personality matters and people absolutely buy from people. There is a difference, though, between showing personality and manufacturing one.
The irony is not lost on me
And before anyone points out the irony, I realise I am using LinkedIn itself to make this point.
That probably says more than anything else I could write.
Because despite all of the noise, all of the performance and all of the content that occasionally makes me dread opening the app, I still see enormous value in it. We know prospects research businesses there, we know people check profiles before meetings and we know our network regularly refers opportunities through LinkedIn.
The platform itself clearly works.
Maybe businesses need a rethink
Show your expertise, your work, your team, your personality and that there are real people behind your business.
Just do not paint a picture of a perfect life or a perfect business, because ultimately nobody really believes perfection anyway.
