Social Media as a Mandatory Task – why it’s becoming more complicated for companies

Social media used to be easy for me. A hobby.
I take photos in my free time, post images without a big plan, without strategy, without pressure. If I feel like it, I post something. If not, I don’t. That’s what made social media enjoyable for me.

But since I’ve had to deal with it in a business context, everything feels completely different. Not technically harder, but mentally more exhausting. More complicated. Harder to make sense of.

No clear role, but high expectations

In our company, there is no social media expert. No one who studied it or does it as their main job. I handle it because I have some experience privately. That sounds reasonable, but it only works up to a point.

As a company, just being present isn’t enough anymore. You are expected to make reels because reach supposedly won’t work otherwise. You use AI because otherwise it seems inefficient. You need to post regularly, stay visible, keep up. Not necessarily well or relevant, just consistently.

And this is where the contradiction comes in.
You invest a lot of time and energy without really knowing if what you produce helps anyone. Often it’s less about content and more about signaling: we’re still here. We’re keeping up. We’re modern.

Social media without a shared office, without a fixed routine

In our case, there is no shared office, as we work from very different locations. Most collaboration happens remotely and coordination is done digitally. For many, social media is not a creative outlet but an additional task they don’t always enjoy.

Which is understandable.
Most people simply want to do their job, stay focused, and deliver results. Nobody wakes up thinking: today I’m going to film a reel for the algorithm.

Instead, you suddenly feel responsible for many things at once. You’re not just a programmer or developer, but also a photographer, videographer, writer, script author, coordinator, sometimes even an actor and voice-over. All of this on top of your actual core work.

This feeling is not unique

The more I deal with this, the clearer it becomes that many feel the same way. Companies, freelancers, and creatives report that social media is taking more and more effort while becoming harder to grasp.

Even companies with dedicated social media teams openly admit that the pressure to constantly produce content is enormous. Algorithms favor consistency and speed. Depth, substance, or real expertise often play a minor role.

If you pause, you get less exposure. If you keep posting, you stay visible, even if the content is interchangeable.

Why we still keep going

Despite all the criticism, social media remains relevant. Visibility is a key factor today. Many people learn about a company online before making contact. Social media is often the first point of contact.

A good product or service alone is no longer enough if nobody sees it. Social media is a digital shop window. Not very deep, often loud, sometimes exhausting – but hard to ignore.

The problem is that this shop window is getting more crowded. And the more crowded it becomes, the more you adjust, even if you don’t want to.

The psychological aspect

Social media affects not only reach but also people. Quick feedback in the form of likes or views triggers our reward system. Even if we know these numbers mean little, they still feel important.

At the same time, we constantly compare ourselves to others. Other companies, other accounts, other numbers. This comparison happens automatically and creates pressure, even when we know rationally it’s not meaningful. Add to that the fear of falling behind. Platforms are constantly changing, formats come and go. Those who don’t respond get less exposure.

A possible way to handle it

Maybe the key is to see social media more as a tool and less as a measure of success. Not every trend needs to be followed. Not every format fits every company.

It’s less about being everywhere and more about finding a way that works in the long term. Content you can stand behind without constantly bending yourself. Because nothing feels more inauthentic than content created purely out of obligation.

Questions to finish with

Why do we do all this anyway?
Do we produce content because we actually have something to say, or because we’re afraid of being invisible?
How much of it is real communication and how much is just playing along with the algorithm?
And if AIs soon start creating content themselves and communicating with each other, who are we actually posting for?