(Dis)liking social media in 2024: 4 things to know

We dig into the growing unease some have with these popular platforms.

Social media feeds serve up an endless menu of content.

And like an all-you-can-eat buffet many of us keep returning for yet another heaping pile of posts. But Ipsos' Global Advisor polling finds as the first half of this decade wraps up some of us appear to be feeling a bit nauseous with what these platforms have been serving us up.

Here are four key takeaways about social media from our 2024 global reports:

1. Do as I say not as I do. Kids these days are often scrolling through social media posts on their phones when they should be doing their homework or listening to their teacher. While most companies already have age restrictions and parental controls almost two in three adults, who are often also lost in their feeds, think it's time to take stricter measures.

A majority (65% on average across 30 countries) are in favor of banning under 14s from social media both inside and outside the classroom.

Australia's government recently passed legislation banning under 16s from social media, but how parents and educators will keep younger people from posting and commenting on everything from what they ate for brunch to the latest viral dance challenge remains to be seen.

2. Buy now. Social media is filled with pretty brunch photos, sometimes posted by your actual friends and other times posted by influencers who are often trying to entice followers to buy something they'll earn a commission on. Most people seem to understand slick posts from influencers are often a bit too slick with a mere 15%, on average across 32 countries, saying they trust them and 57% saying influencers are untrustworthy.

Younger people have grown up alongside influencers and are somewhat more likely to say they trust them (Generation Zers, 20%; Millennials, 18%) than older generations (Generation Xers, 13%; Baby Boomers, 9%). Though a fairly strong proportion across ages and stages say influencers are untrustworthy.

3. Our feeds, ourselves. Social media is filled not only with influencers trying to sell you things you don't need, but with conspiracy theories that can seem too good-to-not-be-true.

Posts produced by bad actors, bots and/or trolls have the power to send people down some dark rabbit holes. Almost half (45% on average across 30 countries) say social media is a key reason "people often get lots of things wrong about their countries and how they're changing, for example, what proportion of the population are immigrants, or whether crime is going up or down."

And the Ipsos Perils of Perception 2024 report finds the more time one spends on social media the more likely they are to believe the elites have a project to replace the original population, while being less likely to trust elections or scientists.

4. I know I can quit, I've done it seven times already! It's easy to roll your eyes at the tin-foil hat crowd but anti-immigration riots in the U.K. this summer were reportedly fueled by social media. And a surge of posts saying "your body, my choice" in the wake of the U.S. election reportedly spilled over into offline harassment this fall.

Some, unsurprisingly, have had their fill — either switching to other platforms or cutting out social media from their online diets altogether.

But, if the past is any predictor of the future many who've made dramatic declarations about quitting social media, often in a social media post, will be back to gorging on their feeds in no time.

And our new Ipsos 2025 Predictions report finds people seem realistic about this, as while 37%, on average across 33 countries, say they're likely to use social media less in the year ahead 55% say it's unlikely. Rumors of the death of social media, once again, seem to be a bit exaggerated as this time last year, 41% predicted it was likely they would use social media less and 49% said it was unlikely.

Clearly there's still a big appetite for social media and while more governments are forcing companies to set up more guardrails it's ultimately up to users to decide what kind of content they fill up their plates (and minds) with.

For more interesting insights about social media from around the globe, check out Ipsos' global website here: https://www.ipsos.com/en/news-and-events/overview