Taylor Lorenz’s Power User The Death of Casual Posting w/ Kyle Chayka
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Sep 10, 2025 
Kyle Chayka, a writer at The New Yorker, dives into the decline of casual posting on social media. He explores the nostalgia for spontaneous sharing, now overshadowed by polished influencer content and algorithmic pressures. The conversation highlights how social media has morphed post-2016, leading to a sense of 'posting ennui' and reduced creativity. Chayka also discusses newer platforms like Blue Sky striving to revive genuine connections, questioning the future of authentic self-expression in an increasingly commercialized online landscape.
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Creators Face A Lose-Lose Posting Choice
- Creators face a trade-off: ignore mass platforms for tiny audiences or join a huge tide of commodified content.
- That binary makes casual posting unattractive for most people.
From Public Expression To Passive Entertainment
- Social media has shifted from shared self-expression to passive entertainment and professionalized content.
- This change contrasts sharply with the early-era ideology that everyone should post and share openly.
We Lost Serendipitous Viral Moments
- Casual unpolished posts enabled serendipitous viral moments from ordinary users.
- Losing that unpolished public spontaneity means fewer surprising, human-driven viral hits.