Are people “Quiet Quitting” Social Media? What the trend means for brands in 2025
There’s been a big shift on social media lately, and you’ve probably felt it yourself. People aren’t dramatically deleting apps or making grand exits, but they are stepping back from how they used to show up online. They’re still scrolling, watching and saving things for later, but the posting and actually being ‘social’ isn’t happening in the same way anymore.
What’s interesting is that this doesn’t mean people are falling out of love with social media. In fact, plenty of platforms are still reporting strong user numbers. It’s the behaviour that’s changing. Instead of being active participants, many users have become observers. They’re still there, but they’re choosing not to be as visible. So if engagement feels lower, it doesn’t necessarily mean your audience has vanished. It may just mean they’ve gone quiet.
One of the biggest drivers behind this shift is the way people now use social media more like a search engine. Instead of logging on to share updates about their own lives, they’re going on TikTok to look for recommendations, browsing Instagram to discover new places to go, using YouTube to research what to buy and joining Facebook Groups purely to gather information. The focus has shifted away from “look at what I’m doing” and more towards “help me find what I need.”
In a recent discussion featured by the BBC, experts argue that social media may be heading toward what they call “posting zero.” In other words, many users no longer feel the need to post anything at all. Instead, they prefer to consume content quietly, privately and selectively.
This also explains the dip in public engagement that so many brands have noticed. Likes, comments and shares simply aren’t the main way people interact anymore. A post that once would have sparked a whole conversation now might receive nothing but silent views. But behind the scenes, people are still saving content, clicking through links, browsing profiles and coming back to posts later. The surface might look quiet, but the behaviour underneath is still active.
At the same time, people haven’t stopped talking online; they’re just doing it privately. Instead of posting updates to hundreds of followers, they’re sending memes and recommendations to group chats, using the “close friends” option on Instagram, creating private accounts or sharing content directly through messaging apps. Social media hasn’t lost its social element, it’s just moved into smaller, more personal spaces.
Gen Z are also driving this trend forward as they’ve become increasingly aware of the negative effects social media has on them and there’s growing discomfort around over-sharing. As awareness about privacy, digital footprints, and long-term consequences increases, a lot of people are choosing to stay behind the camera rather than step in front of it. For many, it feels safer, more discreet, and more authentic to consume than to post.
For brands, this is a really important shift to understand. The days of relying on comments and likes as the main indicators of success are fading. Now, the content that performs best often works because it’s useful, relevant and easy for people to quietly save or refer back to later. Even if people don’t respond publicly, they’re still paying attention. This means the real value of your content lies in how helpful it is, not in how loudly people interact with it.
We can see the trend everywhere. Plenty of Instagram users now consume content daily without posting anything themselves for months. TikTok has millions of people who watch constantly but never upload a video. Facebook feeds are quieter than ever, yet Facebook Groups thrive. And on LinkedIn, there’s a whole army of “silent readers” who keep up with industry conversations without ever leaving a comment. All of this adds up to a very clear message, social media hasn’t gone anywhere it’s just become more private and more passive.
That doesn’t mean social media is declining. It’s simply evolving. Public posting is slowing down, but private sharing, long-form browsing and search-based behaviour are all increasing. People are still there, and they’re still taking in content they’re just not always showing it.
So what does this mean for brands in 2026?
It means showing up consistently, even when the comment section looks a little empty. It means creating content that answers questions, solves problems and gives people something useful to take away, even if they never engage publicly. And it means remembering that a quiet audience can still be a very committed one.
This new social behaviour doesn’t mean disinterest. It means that people want to interact on their own terms. If brands can meet them where they are, and offer content that supports their needs rather than demanding their engagement, they will continue to thrive in an environment where the loudest voices are no longer the most important ones.
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