Key takeaways
- Fewer posts, not less engagement: MH Day still saw strong collaboration and visibility, but overall social media contributions dropped significantly.
- Platforms are getting harder to navigate: Algorithms reward polarising content, expectations for high-quality formats are rising, and organic reach is declining.
- Capacity and channel shifts matter: Limited resources and reduced use of platforms like X mean organisations are prioritising other, often more impactful, activities over social media.
I’ll be honest with you: when I first saw the number of social media contributions for MH Day 2025 and compared it to last year, I felt a lump in my throat.
When we reviewed online activity qualitatively (something we do every year to spot trends and patterns) it didn’t feel like engagement had dropped. We saw strong online coverage of events, meaningful collaboration between stakeholders, and a common mission that was clearly taken up and carried forward. And yet, the numbers told a different story. They showed that overall significantly fewer posts and reposts about MH Day(or related topics) were published on social media.
So what happened?
The decrease in social media contributions for MH Day reflects how social media landscapes have become increasingly challenging for organisations working in MHH or in the social impact sector in general. Platform developments constantly reshape how people engage online and the latest changes pose serious challenges for social impact organisations. Let’s unpack what is happening.
<h2 class="heading-style-h4">Platform developments change what “works”</h2>
Social media algorithms are always evolving, but over the past year we’ve seen some fundamental shifts that directly affect all our visibility:
<h3 class="heading-style-h6">1. Polarisation is being rewarded</h3>
Algorithms increasingly reward polarising, sensational or emotionally charged content. This preference puts our movement in a difficult position. On the one hand, polarising or provocative content may generate more clicks and reactions. On the other hand, that approach comes at a cost: more controversy, less acceptance, and an emotionally charged discourse that does not help normalise menstruation and gaining common ground in the long run. For many of us, that is not a viable or responsible strategy.
<h3 class="heading-style-h6">2. Expectations rise</h3>
Expectations for professionalised content have risen, especially on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Platforms increasingly favour highly polished formats: carousel posts with strong visuals, videos that hook instantly and hold attention to the end, and content that looks and feels professional. Producing this kind of content requires time, skills, and resources – precisely at a moment when many organisations are facing budget cuts and capacity constraints. This challenge is particularly acute for smaller partners. With limited resources, social media competes directly with event organisation, community work, and media outreach. Looking at cost and impact together, focusing on events and earned media can actually be a smart strategic choice, even if it leads to fewer social posts.
<h3 class="heading-style-h6">3.The decline of relevance and reliability of X/Twitter</h3>
X/Twitter adds another layer to this picture. Many organisations have reduced their activity or left the platform altogether due to stagnation, increasingly extreme algorithms, and the dominance of regressive narratives. From a monitoring perspective, this matters: X has historically been one of the easiest platforms to track and contributed a large share of total posts. As activity declines there, overall social numbers inevitably drop as well.
<h3 class="heading-style-h6">4. Paid first, organic second</h3>
Finally, organic reach keeps shrinking across platforms, while paid content is prioritised. The declining organic reach has knock-on effects. If original posts reach fewer people, they also generate fewer reactions (shares, comments, citations) which used to make up a significant portion of social media contributions in previous years.
<h2 class="heading-style-h4">What this means going forward</h2>
Taken together, these shifts raise the bar for all of us. Maintaining visibility on social media now requires more knowledge, more skills, and more strategic choices than before. The good news? This is an area where learning and adaptation really do make a difference.
