I’ve always believed that digital behavior tells us more about society than any political speech or marketing trend report. When people change how they search, scroll, and share, they’re revealing what they value, what they fear, and what they trust. Reading the 2026 Global Digital report by Meltwater, I felt a strong confirmation of something I’ve observed for years in Vietnam and across Asia: people are not becoming more public; they’re becoming more selective.
Social media usage keeps rising, yes. But public engagement is shrinking. Meanwhile, AI search adoption is exploding, quietly reshaping how people discover information, evaluate brands, and make decisions. Together, these two forces are rewriting the rules of communication in 2026.
This blog is not about tools or platforms. It’s about human behavior—and what communicators must do to stay relevant in this new reality.
The Great Shift to “Private Social”: People Are Retreating Into Smaller Digital Rooms
The 2026 dataset shows that people spend more time online than ever, yet public posting continues to decline. Users consume more content but interact less. They prefer group chats, private messages, and closed communities over public comment sections.
I think this shift started years ago. Vietnamese users moved sensitive conversations to Zalo groups. Indonesian users use WhatsApp groups as news channels. Chinese users treat WeChat as a private society. Even TikTok, despite its massive reach, is becoming a “watch but not talk” platform for many users.
This “private social” behavior isn’t a step backward. It’s a self-protective reaction to:
- Online toxicity and judgment
- Algorithm unpredictability
- Fear of becoming a screenshot
- Fatigue from “performing” online
- Growing distrust toward public spaces
People want intimacy, context, and emotional safety, not more noise.
As a PR practitioner, I think this means one thing:
Public content builds awareness, but private conversations build belief.
Brands can dominate feeds but still lose trust in group chats. And group chats are where decisions are actually made – about schools, skincare, travel, and even political interpretations. You cannot buy your way into these conversations; you must earn your way in.
Multi-Platform Reality: Audiences Don’t Live in One Place Anymore
The report also reinforces a trend I see every day when analyzing campaigns: people are platform-fluid. They don’t follow a linear path like “see ad → visit page → purchase.” Instead, they zig-zag across:
- TikTok for discovery
- YouTube for verification
- Instagram for aesthetic cues
- Facebook for community validation
- Reddit or forums for authentic opinions
- Messenger/Zalo for final decision-making
In Asia, this multi-platform flow is even stronger because each platform tends to serve a different social function. A single piece of content rarely sustains influence unless it is reinterpreted across multiple platforms and multiple social circles.
For brands, this means:
- One message is not enough
- One format is not enough
- One platform is not enough
Consistency matters more than volume, because people may encounter the same idea in different “rooms” before it feels real.
AI Is Becoming the Default Search Engine—and It Changes Everything
If social media is where people hang out, AI search is where people think.
And in 2026, AI is not just an assistant. It’s becoming the primary gateway to information.
From ChatGPT and Gemini to TikTok search, answer engines are rising faster than traditional search engines ever did. People no longer ask Google, “What is the best laptop?” They ask AI, “Recommend a laptop for a graphic designer who travels often.”
This is deeply personal, contextual, and conversational. AI doesn’t return hundreds of links; it synthesizes. It chooses for us.
In PR, this shift is monumental. It means:
- AI determines your brand’s visibility before humans do.
- AI trusts credible, consistent, authoritative sources.
- If you are not present in high-quality media, AI will not recommend you.
I often tell clients this uncomfortable truth:
“If you ignore PR, AI will ignore you.”
Because AI crawls authoritative sources, not your ads. It prioritizes journalism, expert commentary, citations, and long-form insights. Paid content doesn’t shape AI’s worldview; credibility does.
We used to optimize for search.
Now we must optimize for answers.
Social + AI: How Discovery Is Being Rewritten
One of the most fascinating insights from the report is how these two behavioral shifts intersect. People now discover information in three key ways:
- Serendipitous discovery (TikTok, Reels)
“Show me something interesting.”
This is about emotion and entertainment.
- Intent-driven discovery (AI search, platform search)
“Help me decide.”
This is about clarity and relevance.
- Trust-driven discovery (private chats, micro-communities)
“Is this real?”
This is about credibility and intimacy.
Brands used to focus on serendipitous discovery – virality, trends, mass impressions. But in 2026, the real power lies in the balance of all three. A TikTok trend might get you noticed, but AI search helps people understand you, and private conversations determine whether they believe you.
From years of doing PR and crisis consulting, I can say this with confidence:
Brands don’t lose reputation in public; they lose it in private rooms.
And in 2026, these private rooms are multiplying.
How Brands Should Evolve: From Content Pushing to Credibility Pulling
This new landscape requires brands to shift from “look at me” strategies to “trust me” strategies. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
- Build content that travels privately, not just publicly
People share what feels helpful, honest, or emotionally resonant—not what looks perfect. Imperfections feel human. Raw insights feel real.
- Strengthen earned media presence for AI discoverability
AI values credibility more than virality.
A single well-researched article can influence AI recommendations more than 10 viral TikTok videos.
- Re-center storytelling on the consumer’s context
In a world of personalized feeds and personalized answers, generic messaging fails fast. Content must solve real questions, not repeat brand slogans.
- Prioritize long-term trust over short-term reach
The more private social becomes, the more people rely on their inner circles. They don’t need your brand to shine; they need it to be useful and honest.
- Measure not just engagement, but influence pathways
Track how people move across platforms before converting or adopting a belief. The real story is in the journey, not the metrics.
This Is Not the End of Social Media – It’s the Beginning of Social Meaning
The data shows that we are not witnessing the decline of social media, but the evolution of it. People are becoming more cautious, more intentional, and more emotionally selective. Meanwhile, AI is taking on the mental labor of filtering reality for us.
This is not something to fear. As a PR practitioner, I see it as a return to the fundamentals:
truth, trust, relationships, clarity, and meaning.
2026 will not reward the loudest brands.
It will reward the most trustworthy, the most human, and the most consistent across public, private, and AI-mediated environments.
Brand communication is no longer about speaking to everyone at once.
It is about being the brand people turn to, across every room, every feed, and every query.
About the Author – Dr. Clāra Ly-Le
Dr. Clāra Ly-Le is a public relations scholar and practitioner with more than a decade of experience advising multinational brands, NGOs, and emerging companies across Vietnam and Asia. She is the Managing Director of EloQ Communications, an award-winning agency recognized for its strategic work in digital communications and crisis management. Clara holds a PhD from Bond University, specializing in social media use in crisis communication, and continues to combine academic rigor with real-world insights. She also serves in leadership roles in higher education, developing curricula for future communication professionals. Her work often bridges data, culture, and human behavior—helping organizations navigate reputation risks, stakeholder dynamics, and the fast-changing digital landscape with clarity and empathy.
The original article was published on EloQ Communications.