Journalism's influencer obsession will age poorly

"For more than a decade, social media didn't just serve Black communities, immigrant communities, and young people - these communities built social media into the global force it became. They were the early adopters, the culture-makers, the organizers, the storytellers. Hyperlocal newsrooms were born on Facebook groups. WhatsApp became a lifeline for immigrant families. Instagram fed cultural reporting. Twitter shaped political journalism in real time."

"If 2022 exposed the cracks, then 2025 is when the post-social media era began in earnest. 2026 is the year the bottom falls out - whether journalism is prepared or not. The Prediction: In 2026, the collapse of "big social" and mass youth abandonment of mainstream platforms will force journalism and philanthropy to rebuild civic information systems around something social media no longer provides: trust, safety, and community control."

"Influencers won't save journalism. Algorithms won't save journalism. Corporate platforms won't save journalism. Communities will. But only if we pivot - fast. Big social is melting - and 2026 is the breaking point The signs were everywhere in 2025. CMSWire called it the beginning of "The Great Social Media Meltdown." X (formerly Twitter) descended into chaos; Meta lost users under-30; AI-generated slop filled feeds; misinformation surged; trust cratered; advertisers fled."

Black communities, immigrant communities, and young people built social media's global influence as early adopters, culture-makers, organizers, and storytellers. Hyperlocal newsrooms formed in Facebook groups, WhatsApp connected immigrant families, Instagram enabled cultural reporting, and Twitter shaped political journalism in real time. By 2025, platforms showed deepening cracks: user loss among under-30s, AI-generated content flooding feeds, misinformation surging, eroded trust, and advertiser withdrawal. The decisive shift arrives in 2026 when mass youth abandonment of mainstream platforms and the collapse of 'big social' will compel journalism and philanthropy to create new civic information systems centered on trust, safety, and community control. Influencers, algorithms, and corporate platforms cannot substitute for community-driven solutions.

Read at Nieman Lab