Recent national research on social media habits in the U.S. shows some noticeable shifts in how people use major platforms. You can read the findings here: Pew Research Center — Americans’ Social Media Use 2025.
If you run a business—especially a small business—you’ve probably sensed something changing with social media. Maybe your posts don’t get the same reaction they used to. Maybe some platforms feel quieter. Maybe you’re seeing customers reach out through private messages instead of comments. And maybe you’re noticing that even when engagement looks low, the same people are still showing up and buying.
These aren’t just feelings. The latest national research confirms it: Americans are using social media differently than they were even a couple of years ago.
Nothing is collapsing. People aren’t fleeing the internet. Social media is still a daily habit for the majority of adults… but the patterns are shifting. And when patterns shift, marketing needs to shift with them.
This article breaks everything down in plain English—no charts, no jargon—just a practical explanation of what’s going on and what it means for your business moving forward. And most importantly, how you can adjust your marketing without feeling like you need to reinvent your entire strategy.
Social Media Isn’t Going Away — But It’s Growing Up
The easiest way to sum up the current moment is this:
Social media is still huge. But people are using it differently.
You can think of it a little like email: it didn’t disappear once texting became popular. It just changed how and when people use it. Social media is now in that “maturing” stage where behaviors shift, not because people dislike the platforms, but because they’ve settled into how they naturally fit into daily life.
A few things are happening all at once:
- People are posting less publicly
- People scroll and watch more than they like or comment
- Trust in social content has slipped a bit
- Younger users lean toward fewer platforms
- Older users are more active than ever
- Private messaging is exploding
- People now use social media as a search tool, not just entertainment
For businesses, this means the old “post twice a day and watch the numbers climb” approach doesn’t work as well as it once did.
But it also means something else: the playing field is leveling again.
Big brands can’t rely on flashy content and enormous ad budgets the same way they used to. Local businesses—like the ones we build websites for in Longview, Kelso, Vancouver, and across the Northwest—have a real opportunity here.
What’s Actually Changing? A Plain-English Breakdown
Different platforms are evolving in their own ways, and those changes affect how your customers discover and evaluate businesses. Here’s what’s happening across the major players:
Facebook is still huge and still widely used, but people interact less than they used to. They scroll, they read, they watch—but they rarely hit “like.”
The important takeaway: low engagement doesn’t automatically mean low visibility. Your content may be seen far more than the numbers suggest.
Instagram is becoming a quiet version of Google for younger adults. People use it to:
- Look up local businesses
- Check reviews and social proof
- Judge whether a business feels trustworthy
- See real photos and videos of your work
- Scan highlights for quick information
Your grid doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to show who you are, what you do, and that you’re still active.
TikTok
TikTok is still massively popular, but the type of content people respond to is shifting. There’s less focus on dancing and trending sounds and more on:
- Quick tips
- Short demos
- “Here’s how we do this” clips
- Real-life process videos
- Simple before-and-after transformations
Simple, handheld videos filmed on your phone often outperform highly produced content.
YouTube
YouTube continues to grow in importance because people turn to it when they want to really learn something or compare options. It’s where they go for deeper explanations rather than quick hits.
A couple of solid videos that answer your customers’ biggest questions can keep working for you for years.
Messaging Apps
More people are choosing to reach out privately instead of commenting publicly. Messenger, Instagram DMs, and WhatsApp are quickly becoming customer inquiry hubs.
Someone who messages you directly is usually a warm lead—not a casual browser—so it’s worth taking messaging seriously and responding quickly.
The Big Shift: Social Media Is Becoming Your Handshake, Not Your Sales Pitch
For a long time, businesses leaned on social media to do everything:
- Attract the customer
- Build credibility
- Deliver the message
- Prove trust
- Get the sale
That’s not how people use these platforms anymore. Today, social media plays a different role:
Social media is where people meet you. Your website is where they decide whether to do business with you.
It’s a two-step process now:
- Social media creates the first impression.
- Your website does the heavy lifting.
If either one is out of sync, customers fall through the cracks.
This explains a growing trend we’ve been noticing with clients: even when engagement on social posts looks low, website traffic and contact form submissions stay healthy. People are browsing. They’re just browsing more quietly.
Why This Matters for Local Businesses
If you run a business in places like Longview, Kelso, Vancouver, Woodland, or any similar community, these changes can actually work in your favor.
Large national brands rely on mass engagement. Local businesses rely on trust.
Social media isn’t built for deep trust. Your website is.
Because people now cross-check businesses between social media and websites, local companies who keep both in good shape are winning more often—especially against competitors who rely solely on social posts.
When someone finds you on social and then sees a clean, organized website with real photos and clear information, that’s your edge.
People Are Interacting Less Publicly, but Paying More Attention Privately
One of the biggest changes happening right now is this: people are interacting less, but noticing more.
Someone might scroll past your post every week without tapping anything, but when they finally need your service, who do they remember? The business they’ve quietly gotten familiar with over time.
The behavior looks like this:
- Less commenting
- Less liking
- More private messages
- More checking websites
- More Googling your business name after seeing a post
- More watching without responding
- More “silent trust-building” over weeks and months
So when business owners panic because engagement drops, they’re often reacting to the wrong signal.
The real signals are:
- Calls
- Messages
- Form submissions
- Website visits
- Map direction clicks
- Repeat customers
Those numbers usually tell a far clearer story than likes.
Younger Audiences Are Choosy but Loyal
People under 35 aren’t everywhere the way they were ten years ago. They’ve trimmed their platform list, unfollow aggressively, and carefully curate their feeds.
But once you earn their trust, they tend to stick with you.
Younger audiences respond well when you:
- Show real work and real outcomes
- Show actual people, not just logos
- Share how things are done behind the scenes
- Tell short, honest stories about your projects
- Answer questions in a straightforward way
If your content helps them understand something or see who they’re actually hiring, you’re already ahead of most businesses.
Older Audiences Are More Digital Than Ever
People over 50 are more active on social media now than many younger groups, but their behavior is different.
They’re using platforms to:
- Research companies
- Verify legitimacy
- Compare options
- Ask questions
- Check credibility
- Find clear contact information
They’re not scrolling just to pass time—they’re scrolling to get confident in their decision.
If you serve this audience, clarity and trust signals matter more than being clever.
What Should Businesses Actually Do With All This?
All these changes boil down to a handful of practical steps that can make a big difference. Let’s keep it simple and focused.
1) Use Social Media as the Introduction, Not the Whole Pitch
Plan your content around the idea that most people will look you up afterward.
This means:
- Keep your posts real and helpful, not overly polished
- Show your face or your team occasionally
- Share tips, not just promotions and sales
- Show your work regularly—before/after, progress, finished projects
- Link back to your website for anything important or detailed
Your goal isn’t to “go viral.” Your goal is to stay familiar and trustworthy.
2) Make Sure Your Website Looks Like a Place Worth Trusting
Because people now double-check nearly everything, your website needs to feel solid and up to date.
A modern website doesn’t have to be fancy. It just needs to answer clearly:
- What do you do?
- Who are you?
- Why should I trust you?
- How do I contact you?
- Do you work in my area?
- What work have you done before?
Whenever we rebuild sites at Graticle, these are the elements that consistently increase leads—and this new social media behavior helps explain why.
3) Lean Into “Helpful First, Sales Second” Content
Whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube, the content that works now tends to:
- Solve a small problem
- Explain a concept in simple language
- Show how something works
- Tell a quick, true story
- Answer a common customer question
People appreciate content that teaches them something more than content that just tries to impress them.
4) Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin
Because platforms are maturing, it’s smarter to focus on fewer channels and do them well.
A simple, sustainable plan might look like this:
- Pick one main platform (where your customers spend the most time)
- Use one supporting platform (to mirror key posts or share updates)
- Keep your website and Google Business Profile updated and accurate
This keeps your marketing consistent without overwhelming you or your team.
5) Bring More Humanity Into Your Marketing
Social media has become a crowded, noisy place. What stands out now isn’t slick design—it’s real people.
Think about sharing more of:
- Your face or your team
- Your shop, office, or workspace
- Your tools and process
- Real customer stories and outcomes
- Your involvement in the local community
You don’t need a branding studio. You just need to show your world in an honest way.
6) Let Analytics Guide Your Time, Not Likes
Likes are no longer a reliable metric on their own. Instead, pay attention to:
- Website visits (especially from social)
- Contact form submissions
- Phone calls
- Direct messages
- Google Business Profile insights
- Search rankings over time
- Map direction requests
If those are trending in the right direction, your marketing is working—even if your posts don’t rack up big numbers on the surface.
7) Build More Evergreen Content on Your Website
Social posts disappear quickly. Website content has staying power and can show up in search for months or years.
Consider adding or improving:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages
- How-to guides and simple explainer articles
- Clear service pages for each thing you do
- Case studies or project spotlights
- Project galleries or portfolios
- Local landing pages for specific cities or neighborhoods
- Educational blog posts aimed at common customer questions
- “What to expect” pages that walk people through your process
These pieces quietly build trust around the clock without relying on algorithms.
8) Pay Attention to Local Search and 2025 SEO Trends
Since younger users now search on Instagram and TikTok and older users still favor Google, your visibility needs to stretch across both worlds. That sounds overwhelming, but it really comes back to getting the basics right.
Make sure you have:
- Clear service areas listed on your website
- Fast-loading pages (especially on mobile)
- A strong and accurate Google Business Profile
- Local content that mentions your city and surrounding areas
- Simple, logical navigation so people (and search engines) can find things
- Accurate business info wherever you’re listed online
Your website is the anchor that holds all these pieces together.
Great, Now What?
Social media isn’t dying. It’s shifting from being the main destination to being the starting point.
People are using it to:
- Discover new businesses
- Browse and compare
- Verify that you’re real
- Check your work and reviews
- Narrow down their choices
Then they make decisions somewhere else—mainly on your website or your Google listing.
For most small businesses, especially local ones, this is good news.
You don’t need to entertain the entire internet. You just need to stay visible, stay clear, and stay helpful.
