Remember When Social Media Was Fun? Yeah, Me Too.

Social media used to feel simple, fun, even exciting. In its early days, Facebook was all about connecting with friends. It was about sharing moments and keeping up with things you actually cared about. But over time, it changed. It stopped being about me and what I wanted to see, and instead became whatever the algorithm decided was “important.” And, honestly? It just kept getting worse: busier, noisier, and full of things I didn’t ask for.

I had friends joking that I was always on Facebook. This was between Facebook’s rise in 2007-2008 and the widespread adoption of smartphones around 2010. They joked about it even when I wasn’t at my computer. The joke stuck so well that years later, in 2020, I proved them right during my stroke recovery. It happened in the most unexpected way. While lying in my hospital bed, I closed my eyes. I managed to narrate setting up Wi-Fi for a family member. It felt as if I had a chip in my head! I still think I was at my funniest during that time. This is based on the stories I’ve been told about the things I said and did.

Looking back, it’s wild to think about how much of our lives became wrapped up in these platforms. It’s not just Facebook. Meta now controls Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. It creates a social media ecosystem that feels more like a data machine than a space for real connection.

Instagram, for example, used to be all about sharing photos with friends. But over time, it became clear that Meta isn’t really interested in innovation. They’re more about imitation; borrowing Stories from Snapchat and Reels from TikTok, trying to keep users from straying too far. And Threads? It’s just another attempt to capture those leaving Twitter, tying them back into the Meta ecosystem through their Instagram accounts.

It’s hard not to feel like these platforms have lost their way. They’re no longer about meaningful connection, they’re about keeping us engaged, scrolling, and consuming content that benefits them, not us. And yet, we keep coming back because they’re convenient, familiar, and, in some ways, necessary.

So what’s next for me? I’m finding myself drawn to spaces I can actually control: my own blog, email newsletters, and smaller, more meaningful communities. I’m not saying I’ll ditch Meta’s platforms completely. However, I’m rethinking how much of my online presence I want tied to them. Maybe it’s time to focus on spaces that actually work for me.

And that’s something businesses should think about too. Social media platforms rise and fall, and the audience you build there is ultimately owned by the platform, not you. Their algorithms decide who sees your content. Their monetisation strategies dictate how much you have to pay to reach your own followers. But with email marketing, it’s different. Your email list is yours to cultivate. You manage and grow it. It’s a direct line to your audience, not one filtered through a third-party agenda.

If you want more control over your audience engagement, Holistic Email Marketing can help. You can also build a sustainable, long-term strategy. I work as a consultant with Holistic Email Marketing. My goal is to help businesses create email strategies that work. I design strategies that put you in control of your audience and your growth.