Will social networks ever be “social” again? The major ones now seem to have lost relevance, but for smaller ones it is still difficult to break through

For years, the end of social networks - at least the major ones - has been theorized, and in some respects they do indeed find themselves in a moment of crisis: some long-standing platforms, such as Facebook, are losing more and more relevance; others, like Instagram, are criticized for giving excessive space to advertising. LinkedIn is now seen as an unnecessarily formal environment, X has been in a perpetual state of instability since its acquisition by Elon Musk, while TikTok is viewed with suspicion by Western countries because of its corporate structure. However, despite these difficulties, the possibility that a new social network could establish itself in the short to medium term as an alternative to one of these platforms is unrealistic. And the reasons are manifold.

A first factor concerns the fact that recently launched platforms have rarely offered features that are truly different from those already on the market. Secondly, there is a lack of real demand from users: convincing people to leave the services they already use in favor of others is a rather complex process, and in most cases almost impossible. Moreover, a platform’s success also and above all depends on social, cultural, and historical dynamics, elements that cannot be entirely controlled.

The case of X vs Bluesky

The most recent surge of interest in the possibility of having a new platform has come primarily from users attached to the original Twitter model. However, the various projects created with the aim of replacing the current X have failed to bring over most of the users still present on the platform. Even services such as Bluesky (as well as Mastodon), initially welcomed with great enthusiasm, have seen interest in them gradually fade over time.

This picture reinforces the hypothesis that we are unlikely, over the next few years, to witness the birth of a new social network capable of attracting the same level of visibility and participation that the best-known platforms hold today. It is more plausible that those who choose to step away from the main platforms will spread across smaller realities, with more loyal communities and safer management logics.

It’s not just Instagram and TikTok

For some time now, there has been talk of how users have gradually stopped using social networks to meet new people and share opinions or photos, becoming increasingly passive spectators of content created by creators, influencers, and celebrities. Yet there are still some platforms that aspire to go against the trend followed by dominant players.

Alternative social media

Dazed recently addressed the issue, selecting social networks that are trying to offer their members a genuinely social experience, avoiding invasive advertising and controversial management practices. The British magazine cites, for example, Are.na, a collaborative platform that functions as a kind of shared archive, but with no form of advertising: the platform’s goal is not to promote the visibility of individual users, but rather to connect the content they post.

Another digital space similar to Are.na is Cosmos, designed to allow users to explore the visual content published by members, without in any way encouraging compulsive consumption. The idea behind Cosmos is to offer an environment free of advertising and automatically generated AI content. Dazed also mentions Silk, a platform currently being launched that was born from a community of people passionate about fashion, subcultures, and visual design: here too, users can create thematic moodboards, but with the aim of fostering professional and non-professional relationships in the real world.