Matt D’Avella argues that the deterioration of social media over the past five years is not accidental, but structural. In a widely viewed video essay, he delivers a clear verdict: platforms optimised for endless growth are forced to prioritise profit and virality over genuine human connection and that trade-off is degrading mental health and public discourse.
According to D’Avella, social networks are trapped in a feedback loop where sensational, low-effort content is rewarded because it maximises engagement metrics, even as it erodes user wellbeing. The result is rising anxiety, fragmentation, and a growing sense that something essential has been lost
Key Takeaways
• Social media platforms are structurally incentivised to choose profit over people. D’Avella argues the degradation is systemic, not accidental. In a growth-at-all-costs model, platforms are repeatedly forced to optimise for revenue rather than user satisfaction.
• Algorithms reward outrage and low-effort virality. Content that triggers strong emotional reactions pranks, stunts, outrage bait is prioritised over meaningful interaction. This “algorithmic treadmill” degrades community because it is designed for scale, not value.
• Users are responding through a quiet, individual rebellion. Rather than organised movements, pushback is happening through personal protocols: deleting apps, muting aggressively, limiting screen time, and forming informal “attention contracts.”
• He links the current model to higher anxiety, depression, and social disruption. D’Avella argues that engagement-driven platforms prioritise addiction mechanisms over connection, contributing to worsening individual and societal outcomes.
• This is still an early experiment. Humanity has only lived with algorithmic social media for roughly two decades. That relative newness suggests growing awareness and user behaviour not platform goodwill may be the force that eventually triggers change.
What He Said
The Profit vs. People Conflict
D’Avella frames social media’s decline as the result of an unavoidable conflict of interest. Platforms must choose between satisfying users and maximising profit — and within systems built for endless growth, profit consistently wins.
“They’re caught between satisfying users and generating profit. And within a system built for endless growth, their choice is always going to be for the latter.”
This structural reality explains why platforms struggle to address harm without undermining their own business models.
The “Quiet Rebellion” Response
Rather than waiting for reform, D’Avella highlights a decentralised user response. People are reclaiming control through selective disengagement instead of fighting algorithms head-on.
Deleting apps, muting aggressively, and setting intentional limits are framed not as extreme actions, but as rational self-defence against systems engineered to capture attention.
Is There Hope for Correction?
D’Avella offers cautious realism rather than optimism. He notes that widespread social media use is historically recent, and public understanding of its effects is still forming.
The implication is sober: meaningful change is more likely to come from collective shifts in behaviour than from platforms voluntarily abandoning profit-driven incentives.
Creator Daily Take
The “quiet rebellion” may be the only viable response. Waiting for platforms to fix themselves ignores the fact that the business model depends on the very problems users complain about.
Deleting apps, muting feeds, and enforcing personal attention boundaries are not radical actions they are basic self-defence. We are still the early participants in a massive social experiment, and the data increasingly points in one direction.
Worth Watching If…
• You feel increasingly anxious or distracted by social media and want a clear structural explanation of why
• You’re interested in the tension between platform business models and user wellbeing
• You’re experimenting with reducing screen time, deleting apps, or setting attention boundaries
Skip if: You’re primarily looking for tactical social media growth, content optimisation, or algorithm hacks.
Video Intelligence (at time of writing)
• Views: 2,109,047
• Engagement: 101K likes, 7,780 comments
• Upload: August 21, 2025
• Duration: 16 minutes
About the Creator
Matt D’Avella is a filmmaker, YouTuber, and podcaster known for exploring minimalism, intentional living, and challenging cultural defaults. His work focuses on questioning conventional approaches to productivity, consumption, and technology.
This article is part of Creator Daily’s Personal Growth Desk, where we break down the most useful ideas from mindset and self-development creators.