Why 55% of Americans post less on social media now than five years ago
A growing number of US adults are retreating from public social media activity, citing mental health, political exhaustion, and the feeling that online presence has become work.
Why 55% of Americans post less on social media now than five years ago
Americans are quietly retreating from the public square of social media. While many users have not deleted their accounts entirely, a significant shift in behavior is underway, characterized by sharing less, tightening privacy settings, and abandoning the traditional status update.
According to research from Incogni, which surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 US adults between June 1 and June 9, 2026, 55% of respondents reported posting less now than they did five years ago. This decline in activity is accompanied by a move toward more guarded interactions, with 53% of respondents stating they have become stricter
about who can view their content.
The Burden of the Digital Presence
For a growing number of users, the act of maintaining a social profile has shifted from a leisure activity to a chore. Incogni found that 51% of respondents feel that maintaining an online presence feels like work
. This sentiment is most acute among Gen Z, where the figure rises to 60%, though 38% of baby boomers also agree.
"Online engagement apparently used to feel like connection to users and was presumably fun for many people,"
Incogni, via zdnet.com
"Now, the majority of users indicate that maintaining an online presence feels like work,"
Incogni, via zdnet.com
The research suggests this burnout is driven by algorithms that demand attention and a rise in AI slop
that has displaced legitimate content. Users are increasingly tired of being constantly reachable, visible, and reactive.
Mental Health and Political Exhaustion
The decision to pull back is often a response to psychological stress. Incogni reported that 47% of respondents have deleted a social or messaging app due to stress or anxiety
. This trend is most prominent among younger demographics, with 61% of millennials and 56% of Gen Z respondents having taken this step.
Mental health is a primary driver for account deletion for 44% of Gen Z and 42% of millennials, compared to 25% of Gen X and 12% of baby boomers. Other triggers for leaving platforms include harassment, hate speech, bullying, and privacy or security risks, the latter of which could push 51% of respondents to delete their accounts.
Political polarization is also fueling the exodus. Incogni found that 44% of respondents want to withdraw from social media
specifically because of political content and conflict. Furthermore, one-third of respondents could see themselves quitting if their social media use led to conflicts with loved ones.
The Paradox of Disconnecting
While many seek peace by stepping away, the transition is not always seamless. When asked how they felt after extended periods without checking messages, 27% of respondents reported peacefulness and 21% reported relaxation. However, 22% reported anxiety.
Younger users struggle most with this disconnect. Among Gen Z, 34% experienced anxiety and 29% reported FOMO
(fear of missing out) when not checking messages. Millennials followed with 26% and 21% for the same emotions, respectively.
Platform Performance in a Quieter Era
Despite the trend toward posting less, social media remains a massive industry. As of January 2025, 246 million Americans—roughly 72.5% of the population—were active social media users, according to Sprinklr.
For those who continue to post, the nature of engagement is changing. Data from Buffer, analyzing millions of posts through December 3, 2025, suggests that while overall engagement rates vary by platform, direct interaction remains the most effective growth lever. Accounts that consistently reply to comments outperform those that do not, with the strongest lifts seen on Threads (42%) and LinkedIn (30%).
Buffer's 2025 median engagement rates show a fragmented landscape:
| Platform | 2025 Median Engagement Rate | Year-over-Year Trend |
|---|---|---|
| ~6.1% | Dipped from ~6.5% in 2024 | |
| ~5.6% | Up from ~5.0% in 2024 | |
| ~5.4% | Down from ~7.3% in 2024 | |
| Threads | ~3.6% | Down from ~4.4% in 2024 |
| X | ~2.83% | Up from 1.96% in 2024 |
The decline in Instagram's engagement rate (a 26% drop) may reflect a shift toward views as a primary success metric rather than traditional interactions. On LinkedIn, carousels are currently the highest-performing format, with some stronger posts exceeding 41% engagement.
As users become more selective and private, the social internet is not necessarily dying, but it is evolving into a quieter, more guarded environment.
