Silent Engagement, Real Impact

Written By Lindsay Valero

The Engagement Drop Isn’t a Failure: It’s a Shift

If you’ve felt like your posts are getting quieter these days, you’re not imagining it. The likes, comments, and double-taps we’ve been trained to measure success by? They’re slowing down. But here’s the thing: people still see your content. They’re just engaging differently. This isn’t the end of social media: it’s the start of a new chapter. Today, the loud signals like likes and comments are giving way to quieter but equally powerful forms of interaction: saves, direct messages, and private shares. These are the "silent engagements" shaping how influence really works online.

Why Engagement Feels Different Now

Content fatigue is real. After years of endless posting, scrolling, and double-tapping, audiences are tired of performative engagement. And the data backs this up:

  • In 2024, engagement rates dropped across every major platform: Facebook down 36%, TikTok down 34%, and Instagram down 16% (RivalIQ).

What used to spark easy likes or comments now barely gets a glance.

But this isn’t a crisis. It’s an evolution. Social behavior is shifting, and our strategies need to shift with it.

Welcome to the Lurker Economy

Your audience hasn’t disappeared: they’ve just gone quieter. Instead of public likes and comments, they’re watching, saving, and sharing privately. Some proof:

  • 92% of TikTok interactions are passive views (RivalIQ).

  • 1 in 3 Instagram Stories leads to a DM (The Growth Box).

  • On Pinterest, so-called “silent inspiration” drives 89% of purchase decisions (SocialInsider).

Quiet doesn’t mean disengaged. It means influence is happening behind the scenes.

The New Rules of Engagement

Even the platforms are catching on. Instagram now considers sends per reach a top performance signal, valuing the private share over the public like. As Hootsuite’s 2025 data shows, engagement is no longer just about vanity metrics: Instagram Reels average ~2.6% engagement, but what really drives reach is how often posts are saved and shared.

The scoreboard has changed. Success today isn’t about racking up hearts, it’s about sparking moments worth passing along.

What You Can Do Next

If the audience has changed how they engage, brands need to change how they connect. Some paths forward:

  • Check your DMs: Instagram reports users now spend more time in DMs than in their feed. Building one-to-one connections matters.

  • Foster private communities: 78% of users prefer private spaces over public feeds, and Discord grew 247% in 2024 (SocialInsider).

  • Create conversation, not just content: Invite responses, ask for opinions, and craft posts that encourage replies.

  • Get creative with formats: When the usual CTA falls flat, interactive or unexpected content can cut through.

  • Share saveworthy content: Think moodboards, how-to guides, or resources your audience will want to revisit. Content that feels useful or inspiring is more likely to be saved and shared privately.

Engagement isn’t gone: it’s transformed into something less visible but more meaningful. Public likes and comments may be down, but private shares, saves, and conversations are thriving. Success in 2025 isn’t about shouting louder into the feed; it’s about listening, adapting, and meeting your audience where they actually are. And that’s a path worth following.

Via 18’s POV

At Via 18, we see this shift not as a dead end, but as a new path. The role of a brand online isn’t just to chase metrics: it’s to walk alongside its audience, adapting to how they want to connect. And through this evolution, we can be your co-pilot, helping you navigate quieter engagement, spot the signals that really matter, and design strategies that keep your brand moving forward.

Sources



Lindsay Valero
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