With the pandemic, digital communication shifted from a necessity to a habit. “Let’s grab a coffee” became “Let’s meet on Zoom,” and “We ran into each other” turned into “I saw it on your story.” Amid this digital intensity, social media has transcended being just a screen interface to become the very essence of social life.
But now we face a new question: Will social media remain confined to screens, or are we moving toward a “post-screen” era? And how will this transition take shape outside the Metaverse?
Beyond the Metaverse: What Else Is There?
The Metaverse promises a parallel universe where we interact as avatars with virtual identities. However, due to technological, sociological, and economic barriers, it has not yet gained widespread acceptance. Meanwhile, users are seeking lighter, more authentic, and less restrictive social experiences. This brings us to the concept of post-screen socialization: a vision of social media where the digital remains central, but the screen is no longer the sole boundary.
What Do These New Forms of Socialization Look Like?
- Location-Based Interactions: Social media increasingly highlights the connection between users and their physical surroundings. Features like local communities, location-based recommendations, and digital engagement in physical spaces are on the rise.
- Voice and Real-Time Engagement: The audio-based social media trend, sparked by platforms like Clubhouse, has become permanent with podcast comments, voice responses, and live audio chats. Face-to-face isn’t required, but neither is a screen.
- Anonymity and Identity-Free Communities: Social media is gradually moving away from the pressure of “personal branding” toward communities that feel less visible but foster stronger connections.
- Screen-Free, Emotionally Close Experiences: Technologies like AR glasses, audio notification systems, and haptic feedback allow interaction with digital content without needing to look at a screen.
What Should Brands and Content Creators Do?
- Focus on meaningful interactions rather than fleeting ones.
- Integrate physical experiences with digital ones (e.g., events paired with QR code-driven social media tasks).
- Prioritize community-building over merely growing follower counts.
- Embrace new technologies (AR/VR/audio interactions) not just as showcases but as core components of communication.
Social Media Enters a New Era: From “Being Present” to “Building Connections”
Post-screen socialization signals a new social media culture where individuals are no longer passive viewers in front of a screen but active participants engaging with digital networks in their environment. In this culture, context matters as much as content, interaction quality outweighs visibility, and community spirit takes precedence over follower numbers.
If Social Media Transcends the Screen, It Gets Closer to People
The Metaverse may be a vision for the future, but post-screen socialization addresses today’s needs.
A digital world where we hear without seeing, feel without touching, and connect more deeply than ever before—perhaps this is where the true evolution of social media begins.
