Anti-social: It's fads, not friends, which now dominate social media feeds

# Summary Social media platforms have shifted from facilitating personal communication among friends to serving as entertainment hubs dominated by professionally-made short videos and ads, with users increasingly becoming passive consumers rather than active posters. Data from France, the UK, and the US shows declining rates of active posting, particularly among Gen Z, as users cite concerns about permanent digital footprints, exposure to criticism, and the superficiality of social media interactions. Instead, intimate communication is migrating to private messaging apps like WhatsApp and closed groups, while young people who do post are creating entertaining parodies rather than sharing personal content.