The Era of Antisocial Social Media

Micro-community often live on traditional social platforms, yet they can also spark in unexpected places: Discord — a platform designed for gamers, has become something of an under-the-radar hub for beauty obsessives.

Social platforms are still reporting robust growth — yes, even FB — despite growing opposition. But dig a little deeper, and a more nuanced picture emerges. When you look at who is — and more importantly, who is not — driving the growth of social platforms, a key demographic appears to be in retreat: young people.

Americans 12 to 34 years old across several platforms has either leveled off or is waning, while 2019 research from Global Web Index suggests that the amount of time millennial and Gen Z audiences spend on many social platforms is either flat, declining, or not rising as greatly as it has in years’ past.

Young people crave tight-knit communities, privacy, safety, and a respite from the throngs of masses on large-scale platforms.

Fortnite - half of teens say they use it to keep up with their friends, with most spending 6 to 10 hours each week on the platform.

An example is London-based Threads, which has quietly picked up $20M last year with Highland Europe, for its operation which courts millennial, with tailored selections of luxury fashion which it then sells to them directly on services like WeChat, WhatsApp, Snapchat, with a team of human shopping assistants!

3. Shared Experience:

Mark Zuckerberg in 2019 “Today we already see that private messaging, ephemeral stories, and small groups are by far the fastest growing areas of online communication”

Think Facebook private groups.