Social media fatigue and AI slop forecast to break our doomscrolling addiction

2026 could see the ‘return of editorialisation’ as we tire of social media

After more than a decade of growth and addictive engagement, the combination of low-quality AI content, hostile advertising and user fatigue is set to make social platforms “less compelling” in 2026.

The prediction has been made by Cade Diehm, head of research at the World Ethical Data Foundation (WEDF), drawing on global data and user trends.

Diehm expects 2026 to be the year we all begin to tire of social media, as audiences break their doomscrolling habits and seek news, entertainment and community elsewhere.

“The combination of AI slop, the ownership of US social media by partisan figures pushing their own political agendas, age verification, increasingly aggressive advertising practices and more, will lead many to break their ‘addictions’ to social media doomscrolling and look elsewhere for news and media,” said Diehm.

“This could herald the return of editorialisation. The evidence? Deloitte Australia shows a measurable drop in overall media engagement and a sharp decline in social media use, explicitly linked to low-quality AI content and mental health concerns.

“Global analysis by the FT and others suggests social media time peaked around 2022 and is drifting down in many regions, especially among younger users in Europe. The US is still high,” Diehm added.

The WEDF is an independent non-profit working on the ethical and practical challenges of technology worldwide, based in the Netherlands.

The prediction comes as recent research from video-editing company Kapwing revealed that over 20% of the videos YouTube’s algorithm shows to new users is low-quality AI-generated content.

The rise of “AI slop” was correctly identified by media analyst Adam Cunningham as a defining trend in 2025 at Content London 2024.

C21 has been speaking to industry experts from around the world to get their take on what the next year might bring, as well as what their priorities are for the next 12 months.