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Three young women sit in a new café in Vienna. Their cappuccinos arrive in delicate porcelain cups, a heart drawn into the foam. A few years ago, someone would already be reaching for their phone. A photo for Instagram, a quick story, a little moment curated for the world. Today, the scene remains unposted. The youth who once lived online with effortless openness are retreating. The new digital status symbol is not visibility — it’s privacy.
Fear of the Digital Footprint
Generation Z may be constantly online, but they share far less of their everyday lives. Studies by saferinternet.at and Malwarebytes Labs show that young people post significantly less than they did just a few years ago. More than 60 percent worry that personal content could be used against them. What once went proudly into the public feed now circulates only in small, trusted group chats — or stays offline entirely.
This shift isn’t nostalgia. It’s self‑protection in a world that feels increasingly unpredictable.
Breaking Free from the Platform Logic
Some young people go even further, actively trying to detach from the gravitational pull of apps. One of them is Gabriela Nguyen, a 25‑year‑old Harvard graduate who developed “Appstinence,” an app designed to help users reduce their screen time. More than a million people now use it.
Nguyen herself has taken a more radical step: she switched to a “dumb phone” that can only call and text. “The apps became the center of my life — everything revolved around them,” she says. The longer she doomscrolled, the darker the world seemed.
Her longing for a less technologized environment echoes in the “Luddite Club” in New York, where teens gather to discuss books instead of scrolling Instagram. Many members use dumb phones or none at all. What began as a niche experiment has grown into an international movement.
Lifestyle Influencers Face an Image Crisis
While many users are pulling back, one group is struggling with the new mood: lifestyle influencers. For years, they were the icons of social media — perfect kitchens, perfect morning routines, perfect outfits. But that aesthetic now feels repetitive, even hollow.
Berlin-based artist Charlotte Adam knows the industry from the inside. Before dedicating herself to painting, she spent years working in influencer marketing. “In recent years, I’ve noticed a strong trend toward perfectionism,” she says. But behind the flawless façade lies less a desire for privacy than a fear of judgment — the relentless need to be liked.
Yet the world outside the feed has changed: climate crises, wars, economic instability, rapid technological upheaval. “Against that backdrop, everyday content — a pretty breakfast, a cute outfit, the walk to yoga — can feel too trivial,” Adam observes. The glossy lifestyle genre is losing cultural relevance.
The New Status Symbol: Becoming an ‘Author’
At the same time, a new type of influencer is rising: self‑styled experts on finance, fitness, nutrition, or mental health. Traditional lifestyle creators feel the shift, says German social‑media strategist Ann‑Katrin Schmitz.
She points to a curious trend: more and more influencers are publishing books. With tools like ChatGPT, writing one has become far easier. The financial payoff is usually modest, Schmitz notes. But the symbolic value is enormous. “Author” sounds more credible than “influencer” — a crucial advantage in a field where trust is fragile.
Major brands have already adapted. For campaigns and event guest lists, many now prefer authors, artists, or experts over pure lifestyle influencers. The hierarchy of influence is being rewritten.
A Return to Research and Substance
Adam sees this shift in her own creative circle. She recently designed a collection with the heritage nightwear label Hanro and notices a renewed appetite for depth. “I’m seeing more researched content and personal columns again,” she says. Platforms like Substack, which support long‑form writing and newsletters, are gaining traction.
She herself is developing a newsletter as a second channel — a way to share ideas and updates without relying solely on Instagram, whose algorithmic volatility makes it a precarious professional foundation.
Credibility Over Attention
All signs point to a new direction for social media: fewer posts, but richer ones. Content that informs, delights, or genuinely adds value. Quality over quantity. Joy over pressure. Substance over self‑display.
Perhaps this is the real transformation of the digital landscape: the most valuable currency in the feed is no longer attention. It’s credibility.
- source: kurier.at/picture: pixabay.com
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