顶尖社群媒体公司越来越坚称，它们根本不是社群媒体。Snap 几乎 10 年来一直推动这种说法，称 Snapchat 是社群媒体的替代品，甚至是一家相机公司；而 Alphabet 的 Google 也在加州一宗审理 YouTube 是否伤害儿童与青少年的诉讼中提出了同样的论点。TikTok 将自己定位为一家娱乐公司，提供比传统社群媒体更多的内容；Mark Zuckerberg 则在 2021 年将 Facebook 更名为 Meta Platforms Inc.，以示其正从社群媒体公司转向元宇宙公司。
文章认为，随著社群媒体这个标签的声望下降，这种身份转变已成为常见的企业防御策略。15 到 20 年前，社群媒体曾像今天的 AI 一样，是个吸引资金与地位的流行词；但在 doomscrolling、brain rot 等词汇，以及普遍的成瘾抱怨和与烟草巨头 Big Tobacco 的类比之下，公众情绪已转趋负面。这些公司的说法并未阻止监管机构与原告把它们当作社群平台看待，而最近洛杉矶陪审团在科技成瘾案件中的裁决，更加剧了这种压力。
风险正在升高：这 4 家公司仍是即将在美国开庭案件中的被告，这些案件由数以千计的个人提起，指控自身受到伤害；另有超过 1,000 个学区声称学生的学习受到损害。澳洲也已开创先例，对 16 岁以下用户实施里程碑式禁令，最初列出 10 个要被封锁的应用程式，包括 Snapchat、YouTube、TikTok 和 Instagram。随著更多国家和美国各州考虑采取类似行动，文章指出，无论平台如何包装品牌或标示产品名称，任何单一平台都将越来越难以逃离社群媒体这一类别。
Top social media companies are increasingly insisting they are not social media at all. Snap has pushed this line for nearly 10 years, calling Snapchat an alternative to social media and even a camera company, while Alphabet’s Google made the same argument in a California trial over claims that YouTube harms children and teens. TikTok has framed itself as an entertainment company offering more than old-guard social media, and Mark Zuckerberg renamed Facebook to Meta Platforms Inc. in 2021 to signal a shift from a social media company to a metaverse company.
The article argues that this identity shift has become a common corporate defense strategy as the social media label loses prestige. Fifteen to 20 years ago, social media was a buzzword that attracted money and status much like AI does today, but public sentiment has turned sour amid terms like doomscrolling and brain rot, widespread addiction complaints, and comparisons with Big Tobacco. The companies’ messaging has not stopped regulators and plaintiffs from treating them as social platforms, and the recent Los Angeles jury verdict in the tech addiction case intensified that pressure.
The stakes are growing: all 4 companies remain defendants in upcoming US cases brought by thousands of individuals alleging personal injury and by more than 1,000 school districts claiming harm to students’ learning. Australia has also set a precedent with a landmark ban for users younger than 16, initially naming 10 apps to be blocked, including Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. With more countries and US states considering similar action, the article suggests it will be increasingly difficult for any single platform to escape the social media category, regardless of its branding or product labels.