YOU ARE NO LONGER TALKING TO ANYONE!

ACT I — THE DIAGNOSIS

Have you noticed? On social media, you’re publishing more than ever. Yet your message fails to generate enthusiasm or deliver results.

The algorithm compels you to produce ceaselessly, at an unforgiving cadence. You copy-paste trending themes and talking points. You automate with AI. And meanwhile, robots write posts destined to be seen by other robots.

These contents are scanned by crawlers—GoogleBot, OpenAI’s SearchBot, and countless other AI bots. Your texts feed the LLM systems that, in turn, regurgitate generated content. The cycle repeats until saturation: more content, more noise, less signal.

It’s a vicious cycle—surproduction breeding inauthenticity. Your genuine message drowns in the endless stream of content scrolling past at the hypnotic rhythm of the mobile screen.

As one digital strategist aptly noted: “Write for the robots; they’re the only ones truly reading you.”[**] Humans, meanwhile, absorb fewer than 30 percent of any given page. –Jérémie Lacoste

It's already happening. Moltbook, the first chat and exchange network exclusively reserved for AI agents (humans forbidden), has emerged. Humans can only visit to observe conversations. Meanwhile—robots converse amongst themselves, without you. Reshaping the world. It's the mirror of your future if nothing changes.

“You’re no longer talking to anyone!”

The statement unsettles. Yet it was my first instinct—an intuition that something has gone profoundly awry.

I am an advertising professional, a strategist in communication. Conveying a message effectively to a targeted audience is fundamental to my practice. I manage editorial calendars, produce branded content, and observe daily the evolving landscape of communication channels—particularly digital and social platforms.

Since the rise of social media in 2004-2006—MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and the platforms that followed through TikTok—it felt like an El Dorado. A gold rush. From millions of users to over 5 billion in two decades. A seismic shift in media, a paradigm rupture: anyone could become a publisher, bypass the gatekeepers, access their audience directly. Rightfully so—it transformed communication itself.

But something shifted. Not abruptly. Gradually, imperceptibly, until it became the norm.
Today: “We no longer communicate because we have something to say… We produce content relentlessly, obsessively, simply to remain in the feeds.” — Pascal Wouters, Strategist
This prompted a question: Must we continue feeding the machine, producing empty content? Or is it possible to escape the current paradigm by fundamentally rethinking how we publish and distribute our message in 2026?

Read the full article — The Blog of PUB – LinkedIn “Expert” Article

ACT II — THE TYRANNY OF ALGORITHMS

Within this matrix, algorithms represent a fundamental strategic problem. Ignore them, and you vanish. Visibility has become non-negotiable. They cannot be circumvented.
It’s a perverse trap: refusing to play amounts to digital extinction—your messages reach no one, your voice fades to silence. Playing the game, conversely, transforms you imperceptibly. You optimise, refine, industrialise your thinking until you express only an algorithm-compatible version of yourself: polished, tested, performant—neutral.

The frequency paradox: a soft addiction

At the heart of this invisible tyranny lies the relentless publication cadence—the golden rule for existing in feeds. The theory holds: produce more, get seen more. In practice, you drown in the mass.

Algorithms no longer serve you. They have become your masters.

The 2026 figures speak plainly: Instagram declines to 7.6 percent average reach (-18 percent YoY), TikTok absorbs 16,000 videos per minute with -17 percent views and -32 percent interactions, LinkedIn loses 23 percent impressions and 14 percent engagement, Facebook stagnates at 5.9 percent (sometimes 2.6 percent). Volume explodes. Individual impact collapses. (*Sources).

Yet the algorithm seduces: a few likes, sporadic impressions. You publish more, test formats and trends, dose yourself like an addict—just enough to remain visible, never quite saturating. Your messages crystallise into proven formulas, copy-pasted across trending moments, automated by AI. Robots write for crawlers (GoogleBot, SearchBot), trapped in an infernal LLM cycle: generation, saturation, noise. A vicious circle with no exit.

The Matrix closes around us

The internet is no longer an information tool we access on demand; it has become the infrastructure itself—a matrix structuring our lives with near-total omnipresence. Two decades after arriving in our offices and homes, technology now manages your identity, your finances, your enterprise, your dwelling. It filters your perception of the world according to imperceptible criteria, multiplying and deepening in opacity.
We built this matrix ourselves, post by post, click by click. It is not an external enemy but self-domestication: with each optimisation, we surrender ground, believing still that we control a game we shall soon no longer master.

The vicious cycle: from frequency to inauthenticity

Optimisation corrodes essence: the more formatted your message, the less it carries your character. Without distinction, you compensate through volume. The more you produce, the less you dare to be authentic—unpredictable by nature, risky, unoptimised.

Millions of brands, CEOs, leaders publish daily, anonymous in the stream. Their clarity dulls. Their voice fades. Their genuine influence (deals, talent acquisition, partnerships) evaporates into feeds devoid of meaning.

Even the finest messages—those that might have been authentic—succumb to this logic. Because to exist, you must repeat. To repeat, you must structure. To structure, you must format. The instant you format authenticity, you corrupt it. You turn it into strategy. The algorithm wins, without your even realising it.

Authenticity, by nature, is unpredictable. It resists repetition. It refuses format. A voice that refuses format becomes invisible—not censored, but simply inaudible to the algorithm. The real risk is not for the algorithm. It’s for you: being heard nowhere.

Write for the algorithm, and your genuine audience—the one that truly matters—scrolls past unhearing. Your message loses clarity. Your real influence (deals, talent, partnerships) dissipates. And gradually, without even recognising it, you have ceased to exist for those who might have listened.

The question is no longer whether an exit exists. It is whether we can afford to continue playing the game—or whether we must fundamentally reimagine social media communication in 2026.

ACT III — A DOOR BEYOND THE ALGORITHM
1. A Return to Message: From Quantity to Quality

Until now, the entire ecosystem has conditioned you toward quantitative strategy, leading you to ask the wrong questions to satisfy algorithmic reality: How often to publish? Which format? At what hour? With which hooks?

The truly essential question lies elsewhere—and it changes everything.
Sound communication strategy should not begin with algorithmic knowledge, nor format, nor optimised editorial calendars.

It begins with your Message: what you genuinely have to say, and to whom it must arrive, move, persuade—your genuine audience.

Consider a CEO of a technology startup in fundraising phase, seeking to convince investors. They do not publish five LinkedIn posts weekly. They craft a major op-ed in the Financial Times, deliver a keynote at a prestigious conference, then amplify through complementary channels. The result: relevance, credibility, impact. One message, placed precisely, before the right audience, at the right moment.

This is a return to fundamentals. Four questions to ask before publishing.

What Message, and who speaks?
What precisely are you conveying? News? Opinion? Expertise? Position? Evidence? Promise? And crucially: who speaks? You personally? Your company? Your brand? This clarity makes all the difference.

Why this message, now?
Why this message, now, for those who will hear it? What are your genuine objectives? Inform? Persuade? Build relationship? Failing to answer this question is already to have lost.

To whom does it truly address itself?
Who genuinely needs this message, rather than merely being exposed to it? Prospects? Decision-makers? Talent—or no one?

When, where, how?
At what moment is this message most relevant, useful, anticipated? Through which channel? In what form? With what degree of embodiment (yourself, your brand, a third-party media, a community)? And at what frequency—not “how many times weekly for the algorithm,” but “how many times must this message be encountered to be memorised and actionable”?

“This is where we clearly see the loss of depth we’ve achieved by reducing communication to a technical endpoint.”

2. Market Validation: Will Social Platforms Actually Change?

Few dare ask it: will social platforms genuinely transform? Part of the answer is economic, not moral.

The symptom: collapse of creator economics
The data are unambiguous:

– 62 percent of TikTok creators experience burnout (2025)
– 74 percent of experienced creators (8+ years) seriously contemplate exit
– 71 percent earn fewer than $30,000 annually—well below median income
– 37 percent have formally considered leaving the platform
– Trend cycles have accelerated: from 72 hours to 34 hours in 18 months

Why these figures matter
Quantity destroys quality. This is economic law. A creator forced to post one to four times daily cannot think, cannot create—only produce ceaselessly. At some point, even the finest burn out and leave.

Consequence: platforms find themselves with feeds bloated by fatigued content, generic AI filler, padding. Engagement declines. Users—saturated, disillusioned—depart. Advertising revenues contract.

The equation is relentless: an economic system predicated on forced overproduction is unsustainable. Platforms know this. The question is no longer “will they change?” but “when will they be forced to?”

Early signals: evolution underway
Some platforms have begun exploring alternatives:

– LinkedIn has restructured its algorithm to prize “meaningful engagement” over raw frequency
– TikTok tests rewarding thematic coherence beyond mere volume
– YouTube and Google have signalled a priority: depth over speed
– Instagram experiments with valuing time spent and saves (quality signals) rather than simple impressions and engagement

But caution: these are tests, not systemic transformations. Advertising revenues remain substantially anchored to frequency and raw engagement. Changing this would upend the entire economic model.

The true tension: two competing forces

The future will not depend on platform benevolence. It will depend on two competing pressures:

– Creator pressure: How long can creators endure before the system genuinely implodes?
– Economic interest: Will platforms grasp that a feed of quality—less frequent but more authentic—generates greater long-term value than content saturation?

Today, these forces remain in tension. Neither balanced nor resolved.

The strategic opportunity: act before the rupture

What is certain: those who reposition now—before rupture becomes inevitable—will possess decisive advantage.

The future belongs not to those saturating feeds. It belongs to those building a clear, consistent, recognisable voice. Those who understand that in an ecosystem soon forced to valorise quality, authenticity becomes not an ideal but a competitive advantage.

This is not utopian. It is economic necessity that platforms will eventually understand.

3. Return to Intelligent Media Mix: Beyond Social-Only

Intelligent media mix: omnichannel, not social-only
Restricting your presence to social media alone is not strategy—it is economic dependency.

Communicating via social is simple and inexpensive. Understandable. But it is a trap: a strategic vulnerability.

An intelligent media mix rests on omnichannel architecture. Each channel fulfils a precise function within a coherent ecosystem: traditional media, press relations, premium digital, podcasting, in-depth content, events, blogs. Each creates distinct touchpoints and liberates you from algorithmic mono-dependence.
Multiplying touchpoints is not diffusion. It is reinforcement. In 2026, it is a competitive necessity.

Owned spaces
Your site, blog, newsletter, platform. These work for you 24/7, independent of algorithms—save SEO.
A 3,000-word article, a recorded conference, a well-maintained newsletter continue generating traffic, engagement, credibility months and years after publication.

A social post dies in 48 hours—even on LinkedIn. Your owned content continues converting 18 months later.

Traditional media (Paid): legitimacy, retention, prestige
Classic channels—television, radio, print, OOH (Out-Of-Home), strategic placements. Their function is not raw reach; it is legitimacy, credibility, anchoring in reality. A television spot or double-page advertisement does not generate direct clicks, but it embeds your message in collective consciousness. It states: “This brand exists. It matters. It has invested in presence.”
For CEOs, ambitious brands, fundraising rounds: print and traditional media remain unmatched vectors of credibility.

Diversified touchpoints
Third-party interviews, op-eds, podcasts, conferences, editorial collaborations, content partnerships. Each channel amplifies your voice via trusted intermediaries, not replacements.

Social as tactical amplifier, not strategic engine
They are megaphones for your major ideas, entry portals to your owned spaces. They are not your primary platform, your source of truth, your only playing field.
Crucially: you could lose everything overnight. Algorithm shift, account suspension, unilateral platform decision—and your presence evaporates.

Orchestration: the genuine value
The real question becomes: how do you orchestrate these channels so each communication serves the same strategy, the same narrative, the same core message? A press op-ed feeds a long-form article, which feeds a LinkedIn post, which feeds Discord discussion. An OOH placement supports a conference, which feeds a podcast, which nourishes your newsletter.
This is not multi-channel. It is omnichannel: one message, amplified through the right channels, at the right moment, to the right audience.

Ground and public relations: recovering the real

We have nearly forgotten a fundamentally essential lever: public relations and direct engagement.
While everyone battles for seconds of attention in a saturated feed, PR and real-world speaking recover considerable strategic value.

Press relations: Amplify your voice and major statements through credible third-party media that lend you their legitimacy and audience. A citation in the Financial Times outweighs 1,000 LinkedIn posts.

Conferences, panels, roundtables: Embody your thinking before qualified, captive audiences who chose to be present. No algorithm. No noise. Just you and people genuinely listening.

Events, salons, meetings: Build relationship, contact, context around your message. This is where real deals crystallise, where talent notices leaders, where partners recognise one another.

Circles of influence and clubs of affairs: where genuine decisions take shape
These privileged spaces are social media offline at VIP high-level—operating a fundamentally different logic from digital platforms. Here, a clear message carries immeasurably greater weight. Silence is golden. Trust builds through proximity, rarity, curation. Unlike online social media where you address a mass without being heard, fragmented by algorithm, you engage with people genuinely listening. This is the difference between quantity and quality: infinite contacts without substance versus select interlocutors where real decisions crystallise—deals, talent, strategic partnerships. You are heard, not scrolled past. It is the indispensable complement to formal channels, and crucially, a lever no one can strip from you overnight. No platform. No algorithm. Only relationships that endure and influence rooted in reality.

Repositioning PR as amplification force: Twenty-first-century public relations is not anti-digital. It activates connectors—journalists, influencers, decision-makers—who share your message directly with their qualified networks. Traditional press, closed communities (Reddit, private groups, Discord, forums), circles of influence: each becomes a cascade of authentic conversation. And it renders monetisable what you build (partnerships, deals, talent, credibility).

The Call to Platforms: It’s time to open the conversation …

To LinkedIn (Reid Hoffman), Meta (Mark Zuckerberg), TikTok (Zhang Yiming), YouTube (Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, Karim Kamangar), X (Jack Dorsey), and the founders of new-generation platforms espousing ethical principles:

You had a dream. Create spaces where communities could connect freely. Democratise voice. Circumvent gatekeepers. That was the initial vision.
But look where we are. Your creator majority are exhausted. Communities fragment. Many seriously contemplate departure. Your feeds fill with generic AI because humans cannot sustain the imposed pace. And gradually, the audience you built—the one that trusted you—disconnects. The phenomenon accelerates exponentially.

You know the scenarios.
Continue the current model. You already foresee what unfolds: best creators depart. Users disengage. Advertising revenues decline. The beginning of obsolescence. The graveyards of yesterday’s platforms.

Or you can return to your original dream. Reward authenticity and exchange quality over frequency. Provide creators with sustainable economics. Render feeds alive again—spaces for genuine encounter, not saturation.

Those among you who choose this path will recover the loyalty of creators and users. The others will become precisely what they fear: obsolete.

We have reached the moment of rupture—the algorithmic switch. The choice is yours.

And you—your content? What do you think? For whom do you truly produce? Will you reconsider your message in 2026?

Thank you for your attention.

Pascal Wouters
Founder, L’AGENCE DE PUB

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Notes and Sources

[*] LLM (Large Language Model): A machine learning system trained on vast textual volumes to generate, comprehend, and analyse written content. Examples: OpenAI (ChatGPT), Claude, Gemini, etc.
[**] Jérémie Lacoste, General Director France, Eskimoz, “Write for the Robots; They’re the Only Ones Truly Reading You,” LaReclame.fr, January 2026. Crawlers and bots continuously scan your content to feed AI systems. Humans, meanwhile, absorb fewer than 30 percent of any given webpage.
[***] Moltbook for AI Only: https://moltbook.com
[****] Sources: Instagram declines to 7.6 percent average reach (-18 percent YoY) [Addictive Digital, Hootsuite]; TikTok absorbs 16,000+ videos per minute with 2.5 percent engagement rate [Addictive Digital, TechCrunch]; LinkedIn loses 23 percent impressions and 14 percent interactions [Metricool 2026]; Facebook stagnates at 5.9 percent (sometimes 2.6 percent) [Addictive Digital, Social Media Examiner]; X (Twitter) declines to 3 percent reach with -28 percent clicks [Addictive Digital].