In the years to come, historians may well mark 2025 as the moment the decline of social media truly began. What was once an undisputed force shaping social interaction, public discourse, and even individual behaviour has started to fracture under the weight of two converging pressures – AI and censorship.

The first is generative artificial intelligence, with its ability to produce text, images, and videos seemingly out of thin air. Authenticity and humanity, once the defining promise of social media, have largely evaporated. In their place is an endless stream of slop: a homogenous fog of recycled platitudes that masks any genuine human connection. As more individuals and organisations deploy AI-generated content to inflate reach and reinforce bot armies, social media is increasingly being produced........

© The Nation (Editorials)