Is Social Media Still Used for Socializing Today?

My view is clear: although today’s major online platforms still carry the label “social media,” their logic and function have evolved into what can be more accurately described as an algorithmic economy. Below, I explain this view through definitions, historical context, and evidence-based observations, ending with practical suggestions.

What Does “Social” Mean? What Does It Mean to “Socialize”?

The word “social” refers to the human capacity to form relationships, share emotions, build culture, and act collectively. “Socializing” means learning and practicing the roles, norms, and relationships that define community life — a process involving mutual recognition, empathy, face-to-face communication, and the building of lasting bonds.
True socialization, in this sense, is reciprocal, relationship-oriented, and iterative — not a one-time broadcast or consumption event.

How Did People Socialize in the Past?

Historically, social networks emerged in physical spaces — cafés, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and clubs — and through oral and written culture such as letters, public readings, and local associations. These interactions:

Included face-to-face communication and body language,
Relied on repeated, mutual experiences rather than short-term viral effects,
Built trust through shared practices and local norms.

What Did Early Social Media Offer?

In the early days of the internet and digital platforms — think of Facebook’s “find your old classmates” feature or topic-specific forums — social media truly facilitated connection. People reunited with old friends, discovered niche communities (science fiction clubs, hobby groups), and overcame geographic barriers.
These early use cases showcased the genuine community-building potential of social platforms.

What Changed? Why Do I Call It “Algorithmic Media”?

Today’s major platforms are built around recommendation systems designed to maximize attention. Their primary goal is not mutual connection but engagement — and therefore, revenue.

Content visibility is determined by recommender algorithms, meaning that “who hears whom” is no longer a social decision but a computational one (Knight First Amendment Institute).
The attention economy and microcelebrity culture have professionalized content creation. Personal, authentic sharing has been replaced by strategic, monetized production; creators now operate as small businesses — the so-called creator economy (ctlj.colorado.edu), (signalfire.com).
Market data show that creator-platform monetization has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, shaping not only what we see but how we behave online (MBO Partners), (Influencer Marketing Hub).

As algorithms decide what becomes popular, organic friendships, hobby groups, and deep social ties are replaced by viral, monetizable content. The results include erosion of trust, attention extraction, and content homogenization — trends widely discussed in both academic and policy literature (Harvard Law Review Journals).

My Observations: Where Did the Old Sincerity Go?

Based on my own observations — supported by multiple studies — I see the following transformations:

Platforms have shifted from friend or acquaintance networks to interest-driven marketplaces;
Personal or local sharing has been displaced by professional and semi-professional content producers;
Short, high-impact formats (reels, shorts, stories) consume users’ attention at a rapid pace.

All these trends weaken social media’s original socializing function — a change confirmed by attention-economy research and user surveys (Pew Research Center).

What Are We Losing?

Depth: Fast-consumed content replaces long conversations, deep discussions, and shared learning.
Control: Visibility is determined not by the strength of social ties but by algorithmic preference.
Time: Continuous novelty and scrolling loops exploit our attention, reducing the hours we could devote to creative or reflective activity.

These losses carry both personal and societal costs — affecting mental health, community solidarity, and cultural diversity. Pew studies have shown that young people feel both connected and anxious on social platforms. (Pew Research Center).

What Can We Do? Practical Suggestions

Here are my suggestions — at both individual and collective levels:

Limit Consumption, Invest in Quality Content: Replace random short-form scrolling with scheduled time for reading — even two paragraphs from a book or one long-form article.
Curate Your Network Intentionally: Prioritize real friends, shared interests, and small communities (forums, email lists, local groups). Build networks outside the platforms when possible.
Manage Notifications and Algorithms: Restrict alerts and refine your follows toward real people and trustworthy sources.
Choose Platforms Wisely: For genuine socializing, prefer in-person gatherings, local clubs, or specialized forums; use large platforms only for clear purposes (news, event organization).
Demand Transparency: Support initiatives calling for algorithmic transparency and user-centric design. The academic and legal debates around this are already gaining momentum. (Harvard Law Review Journals).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the early promise of social media — reconnecting with friends, neighbors, and like-minded individuals — has significantly weakened.

These platforms still allow connection, but their driving logic is now the maximization of attention and monetization of engagement.

Rather than passively accepting this shift, we can act consciously as users — building alternative communities, reclaiming our time, and demanding greater accountability from the systems that shape our social lives.

References and Further Reading

Knight First Amendment Institute. (2023). Understanding Social Media Recommendation Algorithms. (Erişim için kaynak referansı). (Knight First Amendment Institute)
Tufekci, Z. (2013). “Not This One:” Social Movements, the Attention Economy, and Microcelebrity Networked Activism. American Behavioral Scientist. (ctlj.colorado.edu)
SignalFire. (2020). What Is The Creator Economy? (Blog). (signalfire.com)
MBO Partners. (2024). Creator Economy Trends Report / State Of Independence (2024). (MBO Partners)
Pew Research Center. (2024). Social Media Fact Sheet / Americans’ Social Media Use. (Pew Research Center)