A backlash against social media has moved into mainstream culture, with 2026 positioning “transcending the algorithm” as a key virtue for both brands and consumers. Online safety advocates argue that social media no longer primarily connects people, and instead profits from making individuals feel isolated rather than building community. The shift is linked to high-profile visibility of major tech leaders at political events, which is described as changing public consciousness more effectively than years of lawsuits, reporting, and activism. Phone-free gatherings and “logging off” are presented as practical alternatives that emphasize community, intention, and long-form engagement over algorithm-driven attention capture.
"“We all fell for the same origin story that social media was a tool for connection, but 20 years in, we're collectively realizing that is very much not true,” says Adele Walton, online safety campaigner and co-founder of The Logging Off Club, a Gen Z-focused collective for phone-free events. “Whether it's extreme scenarios like people losing loved ones as a result of what they've engaged with, or experiencing depression, loneliness and anxiety in our own lives from spending too much online, we've now reached an inflection point: Big Tech's intention is not to connect, it's to profit from making us feel like individuals and not a community.”"
"“That photo did more for public consciousness than the hundreds of lawsuits, articles, and investigations that journalists and activists have been sharing for years,” Walton says. “That image was what the world needed to realize how deeply connected t"
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