Social media, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), has significantly reduced the referral traffic to external websites in recent years.
This change is global. Even Japan is seeing it. More people are staying on social media rather than clicking on links to other sites.
Reports from Similarweb, Axios, and Nikkei show this clear drop. Since September 2020, Facebook has sent 80% less traffic to news sites.
X has cut its referrals by 60%. Why? Users now prefer watching short videos over clicking links.
Meta, which owns Facebook, is making big changes. They use AI to suggest content, like TikTok does.
This AI shows users videos and posts they might like. Because of this, posts with links are getting less attention.
Elon Musk, who owns X, is doing something similar. X is now focusing more on videos and direct posts.
Links are getting less priority. This change is based on what users like to spend time on.
Japan’s experience is similar. A study there found a 20% to 40% drop in traffic from Facebook and X.
Social media sites are trying to keep users on their platforms. This is good for their ads but not so good for other websites.
News sites and booking sites are getting fewer visitors
Different types of websites are affected in different ways. Online stores and chat services are getting more visitors from social media.
But news sites and booking sites are getting fewer visitors. This raises questions. Are we getting a wide enough range of information on social media?
Social media is becoming more like walled gardens. They’re keeping users inside, rather than sending them to other sites.
This is good for social media companies. They keep users longer and make more money from ads. But it’s hard for other websites that need traffic.
It also might limit what information users see. This change is big. Social media used to be a door to the wider internet.
Now, it’s more of a destination itself.