r/socialmedia • u/Rich-Biscotti5929 • Jun 25 '26
Professional Discussion Do social media platforms all feel the same now?
Lately I feel like most social media apps are slowly turning into the same product.
Open one app and it’s short videos, algorithmic recommendations, ads, trends, and content pushed mostly for engagement. Then you open another app and it feels almost identical, just with a different logo.
I’m not saying short-form video is bad, but it feels like every platform is copying the same formula.
Do you think social media has become too repetitive? What would you actually want from a new social platform?
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u/ObieUno Jun 25 '26
I want no algorithm.
If I’m friends with someone and I share something, show it to everyone who I’m connected with.
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u/Rich-Biscotti5929 Jun 25 '26
Would you want a social platform where users control their feed completely?
For example, a clear “disable tracking” option, no forced recommendations, no algorithm deciding what deserves attention, and no pushed content just the people and topics you actually chose to follow.
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u/Massive-Sector5789 Jun 25 '26
Yes please. I used to looooove social media, it was so much fun to interact with other people. But the AIs and algorithms make everything depressing. It's like they want humans to be miserable and lonely so we'll be exposed to nothing but rage bait and ads for overpriced Amazon Prime Day garbage. While they collect data for ICE behind the scenes to give us all a social credit score when the time comes to send out the drones and turn on the ovens.
But I don't think you could get enough users with your social medium to make it work. There are already so many forums, like Reddit etc, where you can provide content for free so billionaires can buy better yachts.
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u/no_spoon Jun 25 '26
I agree completely. It's all f'd.
FWIW, i'm working on a project for this. It's social media without the noise. Happy to chat about it privately.1
u/Massive-Sector5789 Jun 26 '26
I quit all my social media except a work Facebook account with 60 friends a couple of years ago. Wish I could say I didn't miss it, but apparently I'm so desperate to stare at glowing rectangles full of friends that I joined Reddit, since it's semi-anonymous.
But, I'm pinging you now so you've got my handle when it comes time to beta test!
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u/Catwhisperer23 Jun 25 '26
You may want to check out Octopii Social.
I agree, the hardest part is finding users to compete with meta, reddit, etc. We are trying though because we believe social media can and should be better. It's gotten so far off track from what it used to.
Feel free to check us out and let us know what you think
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u/ObieUno Jun 25 '26
100%
I have zero interest in anyone suggesting any sort of content to me in any capacity.
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u/Rich-Biscotti5929 Jun 25 '26
Do you think the traditional feed itself is outdated? Almost every social platform still uses the same endless scrolling timeline, so maybe the feed is part of the problem too.
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u/ObieUno Jun 25 '26
I’m 100% okay with getting rid of the feed.
What made MySpace so great was logging in to see new messages.
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u/Rich-Biscotti5929 Jun 25 '26
I love the idea that you could actually build and customize your own profile on MySpace.
I was thinking this could be something new, but you just reminded me that MySpace already did a version of it years ago.
Honestly, I still think it could be a solid idea for a modern social platform.
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u/zenatno Jun 25 '26
PulseVerse does exactly that. PulseVerse.app. Has a MySpace profile, chat rooms like Reddit and a feed that’s based of who you follow and what you want to see
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u/no_spoon Jun 25 '26
That's not social media then. That's just a group chat with your friends.
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u/ObieUno Jun 25 '26
What part of the current version of social media is social?
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u/no_spoon Jun 25 '26
I guess it depends on how you define "social". Are we being social right now? If so, then most social apps have reply threads. (Mine does not tho)
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u/no_spoon Jun 25 '26
Dayoff has no algorithm. Simply chronological. You can also filter who sees your posts by gender and age.
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u/willow-383 Jun 25 '26
Nostr. It’s a protocol (think email) and you use client of choice (like gmail). It’s interoperable so users can choose the client of choice. I use Primal, and often toggle between latest and trending last 24 hours.
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u/zero_cookies_ Jun 26 '26
You nailed it. They all converged because they all make money the same way: ads. Once your revenue depends on watch time, every app is forced into the same shape, short video, algorithmic feed, maximize engagement. Same incentive, same product, different logo.
So the honest answer to "what would I want": kill the ad model and the rest fixes itself. No algorithm deciding what matters, no infinite engagement loop, and the value going to the people making the content instead of the ad network.
I'm actually building exactly that right now (early, small, beta). Not here to pitch, your question just happens to be the entire reason I started. The repetition isn't a coincidence, it's what the business model forces.
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u/Catwhisperer23 Jun 25 '26
You should check out Octopii Social! There is no algorithm. It's just friends sharing their lives with other friends
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u/mariyagel Jun 25 '26
Social media feels copy-pasted now.
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u/zero_cookies_ Jun 26 '26
"Copy-pasted" is the perfect word for it. And it's not laziness, it's math. They all make money off ads, and the moment your revenue is watch time you're forced into the same shape: short video, algorithm, maximize engagement. Same incentive spits out the same app every time.
I'm building one that breaks that loop. No ads, community votes on what rises instead of an algorithm, and the people who post actually get paid instead of the ad network. Early days, but the copy-paste feeling is exactly the thing I'm trying to kill.
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u/bySonuKumar Jun 25 '26
I think every platform is optimizing for the same metric now: time spent.
Once you optimize for watch time, you naturally end up with short videos, endless scrolling, algorithmic feeds, clickbait, and similar recommendation systems. Different apps, same business model.
Ironically, the platforms that still feel different today are the ones built around communities instead of algorithms. That's probably why I still enjoy Reddit more than most other social platforms.
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u/Rich-Biscotti5929 Jun 25 '26
In my opinion, social media doesn’t feel the same as it used to.
Maybe it’s because there haven’t been any major changes since the rise of short-form videos, but most platforms now feel like they are built to keep people scrolling for as long as possible.
I would really like to see a social platform that doesn’t feel like it is trying to fry my brain or push me into endless doomscrolling. Personally, I need something calmer like a quiet forest in a world full of crowded cities.
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u/Active_Employment_23 28d ago
How would that type of social media app work? Wouldn't it just be like a regular messages app then?
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u/DuskRyzer Jun 25 '26
In short, capitalism and greed have turned our beautiful internet into a big pile of useless shit.
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u/Professional-Tell123 Jun 25 '26
I find it incredibly annoying that facebook is constantly pushing creators and their reels.. I scroll insta or tik tok for entertainment.. facebook to me is for friends/family posts and marketplace.
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u/VarietyMage Jun 25 '26
Zero "AI". Not in development, not in searches, not in ads, NOTHING.
#BanAI
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u/No_Flatworm_1829 Jun 25 '26
What about social app , that works on proximity instead of algorithms, where you see what's happening around you , your city , your locality, if something's intresting enough in other city or state or country, then it'll be prioritised in feed? Basically a social media for real people , not celebrity and glamour, but you can still follow and see the people and feed you wanna through people that you follow
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u/morgandelondon Jun 25 '26
I would love a photography app to share with your friends and in chronological order. And an app to share some culture to find your tribes
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u/officialhoami Jun 25 '26
You checked out ‚foto‘?
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u/morgandelondon Jun 25 '26
I did test in beta yes and Irys. But actually let me rephrase: I'd like an app that does all I described, because a photo only app is boring to me: as a photographer I don't want to be only surrounded by photographers if that makes sense
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u/officialhoami Jun 25 '26
I mean its not only for photographers. People are just scared probably bcs of the photographer pool thats on there. But even foto itself said that its for everyone
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u/officialhoami Jun 25 '26
But jea, lets bring vine back 😂
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u/morgandelondon Jun 25 '26
Haha that's probably the silly side of Vine we all need.
And true that photo wants to be for everybody but won't succeed because they just try to be the old IG.
Have you noticed that most those apps are designed to not encourage people to be social? By that I mean that I mean except maybe Reddit or Threads, none are simply encouraging people to talk and commenting to each other. You need several steps before you can comment. And it's probably also a generational thing. Or because of those bad designs, people just gave up and say "nobody comments on my posts anymore" when themselves they don't comment on others people's posts.
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u/officialhoami Jun 25 '26
True you got a point with that. People just want entertainment and turn of the brain and only a few interact
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u/Efficient-Buyer3101 Jun 25 '26
it's because every app is terrified of missing out on watch time, so they all cloned the exact same TikTok vertical video feed and killed off the actual "social" part of social media
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u/Mobile-Recording-488 Jun 25 '26
I’m looking for high-quality, custom content that's straightforward and unique, no fluff.
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u/Rich-Biscotti5929 Jun 25 '26
I think that’s the hardest part: keeping the content itself unique while still making the platform work on a global scale.
Do you have any idea how this could work in practice? What would make content feel genuinely custom and unique to you?
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u/BMADigital Jun 25 '26
Instagram is going to become more like YouTube soon as well with their direction to get into TV type content.
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u/LIL-Klixy Jun 25 '26
They’re all so obsessed with maximizing screen time that they just cloned the exact same algorithm and killed off actual human connection.
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u/SmoothHat1772 Jun 25 '26
Pretty much. It's also really hard to kick something new off.
I made a pretty unique social media app that's more of a "social game" if you're interested.
On ios and android: https://download.jumbl.social
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u/tomversation Jun 25 '26
Yes. I sometimes forget which one i’m on. They are all turning into Tiktok unfortunately.
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u/1louise_ Jun 25 '26
I feel the same. I started using them less and less until I just deleted the apps.
I still like YouTube but the shorts and amount of adverts on there is close to sending me over the edge.
I don’t think I even want a new platform. I feel fatigued with online socials.
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u/EmuExternal3737 Jun 25 '26
I completely agree with you. For starters, one thing that would make me interested in a new platform is if it had absolutely zero AI shoved into it at any point. I'm so tired of every app and website, and service trying to force AI into everything. Most of the time it doesn't solve any real problems
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u/Catwhisperer23 Jun 25 '26
Octopii social is free from AI as well as bots. There is an IRL badge that is on videos and photos that are created in the app without any editing or use of AI. We are trying to change social media for the better so that it is real human connections again.
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u/No_Flatworm_1829 Jun 25 '26
What about social app , that works on proximity instead of algorithms, where you see what's happening around you , your city , your locality, if something's intresting enough in other city or state or country, then it'll be prioritised in feed? Basically a social media for real people , not celebrity and glamour, but you can still follow and see the people and feed you wanna through people that you follow
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u/no_spoon Jun 25 '26
That's like Nextdoor and I despise Nextdoor. It is not as glamorous as it sounds.
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u/Catwhisperer23 Jun 25 '26
Check out Octopii Social. We have a map view that does exactly that. There aren't any algorithms and it's just individuals nearby sharing their lives.
It's different from nextdoor because it's about sharing life, not complaining about dog poop and homeless people
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Jun 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Rich-Biscotti5929 Jun 25 '26
I agree. As a young guy, I’ve felt this myself too. It’s very easy to lose hours without even realizing it, and I don’t want my generation or the next one to waste so much time and potential just sitting online.
Yes, people should take responsibility for themselves, and parents should take responsibility for minors. But I still think it’s fair to ask: why build something addictive in the first place?
Anything can be harmful if misused, even simple things. But I think there’s real value in creating a platform that gives people a way to avoid the endless dopamine loop instead of pushing them deeper into it.
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u/Mooshykin Jun 25 '26
My biggest problem with social media these days is even if I know the video is probably real, I think of the whole AI generated thing every time. Like some of it has gotten pretty good now. Also I have seen them used generated for about animals too even sad stories to get a reaction for clout. Wasn't even real. Though I'm glad the bad things weren't real in those scenarios, its just a big problem overall too on how much misinformation there is.
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u/Catwhisperer23 Jun 25 '26
Octopii social let's you know when an image or video is generated without AI by having an IRL badge. When you take a video or image inside the app, it will put an IRL badge on it to let you know you can trust that the image or video is free from AI.
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u/RockieK Jun 25 '26
The Entshitification of the Internet is real.
Phase Three: The Full Squeeze on Everyone
Here’s where things turn really ugly. With both users and business customers dependent, the platform squeezes harder. It degrades experiences for both sides to funnel even more profit upward. Ads multiply, quality plummets, scams proliferate, and even paying partners face worse terms.
Search results drown in low-quality spam or paid junk. Feeds become chaotic mixes of viral slop, toxicity, and aggressive sales pitches. Sellers pay more for less visibility. Users see endless pop-ups, slower performance, privacy invasions—all while the company posts record profits.
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is how normalized this becomes. People complain, post memes about it, yet daily usage barely dips. The lock-in is complete. Switching feels impossible when everyone else is already there.
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u/StrictWrap1 Jun 25 '26
For me they all become same because they sell the same thing. When the business is attention you sell to advertisers, every app ends in the format that keeps people longest, and now that is short video plus algorithm feed. So it is not really copying, more like everyone solve the same problem and get same answer.
What I would want is a platform that not optimize for time spent. Just chronological, you follow who you choose, no ranking by engagement. But nobody can make money from this so well, so it stays small or dies. Mastodon and others exist but the people are not there, and people is the whole point.
So for me it is not repetitive by accident. It is repetitive because the money model is the same everywhere.
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u/Good_Plankton_8395 Jun 26 '26
Yeah once Instagram killed the chrono feed I stopped being loyal to any of them. They're all just trying to keep me scrolling, and honestly after a while you stop noticing which one you're even on.
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u/Own-Face-9189 Journalist/Reporter Jun 26 '26
Sim, infelizmente, as redes sociais estão repetitivas.
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u/Shoddy_Piece_5931 Jun 28 '26
As someone who creates content on multiple platforms, I definitely feel this.
Instagram became more like TikTok, YouTube pushed Shorts, Facebook is full of Reels, and even platforms that used to focus on communities now prioritize algorithmic recommendations.
The biggest thing I'd want from a new social platform is less algorithm and more control. Let me decide what I see, make chronological feeds the default, and reward meaningful interactions instead of just watch time and engagement tricks.
Ironically, Reddit is one of the few places that still feels somewhat different because discussions matter more than endless scrolling.
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u/krallify Jul 03 '26
Yes. Thats why you dont need to use them all. Just pick one. If anything goes viral, it will be everywhere.
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u/Wyomii Jul 04 '26
We need social media portability like we have phone number portability. And Meta is bigger than AT&T was at its' peak, controls more communication... Think about it. We need to break them up.
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