Are We Using Social Media, or Is It Using Us?
By: Nalan Mohammed Arslan | Co-founder, Asli | August, 2025
The Rise of Social Media
Social media began as a tool and a simple way to connect, such as websites for networking, microblogging, and building online communities, where people could share thoughts, opinions, and personal stories. It rapidly evolved, from digital communication through email and real-time online chatting to smart devices with apps people could use anytime and anywhere, taking their communities with them wherever they went. (Maryville University, 2020)
MySpace was the first to hit 1 million monthly users in 2004, but soon after came the giants we all know: Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and later Instagram in 2010. (Ortiz-Ospina, 2019) Instagram grew from a photo-sharing app into a global platform with 2 billion users, integrating editing tools and filters to distinguish itself from other platforms. Businesses now use Instagram for marketing purposes and advertising. (Abasi Ita, 2025)
Today, billions log in daily. In 2025, monthly organic traffic looks like this: (Duarte, 2025)
- Facebook: 10.5 billion
- WhatsApp: 2.51 billion
- YouTube: 42.83 billion
- Instagram: 5.29 billion
- TikTok: 2.05 billion
- Snapchat: 269.92 million
Clearly, social media is no longer just for sharing photos. It’s how people live, learn, work, and build brands, shaping the way we communicate, get influenced, and consume information.
Benefits: education, marketing, communication, brand-building, cultural exchange.
Drawbacks: privacy issues, misinformation, cyberbullying, addiction, scams. (Raju, 2025)
As one Reddit user put it: “Everything is out of control with social media”. (UGC, Reddit)
The Rise of Influencers and Content Creators
Out of this growth came a new era of marketing: influencers and digital content creators. These are people who share content online, building trust and influence with their audiences (Andersson, 2024).
Today, people don’t just listen to brands. They rely on creators for reviews, recommendations, and authentic voices. In many ways, the words of content creators carry more weight than traditional ads, why? Because they feel real.
The AI Takeover: Risks and Rewards
While AI can generate content, it often lacks the human touch, creativity, empathy, and emotional understanding that make content truly resonate. (Li, 2025).
The risks are real, from AI fakes that copy creators’ voices and videos (Allyn & Bond, 2025) to the worry that too much automation takes away the authenticity of marketing. As Reddit users put it:
“Human intelligence perceives time as it flows; AI’s intelligence remains confined between input and output. A human being, since birth, sees the world, senses it, and creates a personal image of the universe within the subconscious, an image then imparted into memory”.
“AI is a continuation of human intelligence, but it does not possess consciousness of its own.” (UGC-Reddit, 2025)
Asli Defined:
At Asli, we see things differently, we believe beauty lies in authenticity; words spoken naturally, without filters or forced scripts. Marketing, to us, isn’t about scripts. It’s about experiences, emotions, and freedom of expression. That’s why we give creators the green light to speak in their own voices, because authenticity connects, inspires, and lasts.
No two brands are the same, and no two creators are alike. Each carries a voice, an identity, and a perspective. That’s why when we work with brands, we don’t just support them; we become part of their story.
If you’re a content creator, business owner, or freelancer, Asli welcomes you to share your story and shine. Always on your terms.
Asli is home. Our home. Your home. Everyone’s home.
References:
Abasi Ita, D., (2025), “Instagram: What It Is, Its History, and How the Popular App Works”, available at: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/102615/story-instagram-rise-1-photo0sharing-app.asp?utm_source=chatgpt.com (Accessed on August 16th, 2025)
Allyn, B & Bond, S., (2025), “This TiKtok video is fake, but every word was taken from a real creator”, available at: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/10/nx-s1-5461427/tiktok-creators-copy-ai-fakes#:~:text=Two%20accounts%20identified%20by%20NPR,in%20a%20hospital%20delivery%20room. (Accessed on August 20th)
Andersson, A., (2024), “The Rise of Digital Content Creators: A New Era for Marketing Professionals”, available at: https://matrixmarketinggroup.com/digital-content-creators/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Rise%20of%20Digital%20Content,influential%20figures%20in%20various%20niches. (Accessed on August 17th, 2025)
Contentfy., (2025), “The role of AI in content moderation”, available at: https://aicontentfy.com/en/blog/role-of-ai-in-content-moderation (Accessed on August 18th, 2025)
Duarte, F., (2025), “Top 35 Social Media Platforms (2025)”, available at: https://explodingtopics.com/blog/top-social-media-platforms (Accessed on August 17th, 2025)
Li, Y., (2025), “AI-driven Personalization on Social Media: Enhancing User Experience pr Invasion of Privacy”, available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393690158_AI-driven_Personalization_on_Social_Media_Enhancing_User_Experience_or_Invasion_of_Privacy (Accessed on August 18th, 2025)
Maryville University., (2020), “The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin, and Where Could It Go Next?”, available at: https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/ (Accessed on August 16th, 2025)
Ortiz-Opsina, E., (2019), “The rise of social media”, available at: https://ourworldindata.org/rise-of-social-media (Accessed on August 17th, 2025)
Raju, G., (2025), “Impact of Social Media”, available at: https://www.simplilearn.com/real-impact-social-media-article (Accessed on August 17th, 2025)
UGC from Reddit, available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/comments/14bqu1u/everything_is_out_of_control_with_social_media/
UGC from Reddit., available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtificialInteligence/comments/1jmhln1/human_intelligence_versus_ais_intelligence/
