Australia’s social media professionals say mental fatigue from the industry’s “always-on” culture is becoming impossible to ignore.
Several marketers and agency leaders told B&T the pressure to constantly monitor trends, respond in real time and generate new campaign ideas is taking a growing toll on the people behind the screens.
Their comments follow the release of Metricool’s first Social Media Well-being Report last week, which surveyed nearly 1,000 social media managers, content creators, agency staff and business owners worldwide.
The findings paint a stark picture: 69 per cent of respondents report mental fatigue, 73 per cent say they have lost motivation or creativity, and 46 per cent say they have experienced burnout or near-burnout symptoms. More than 60 per cent struggle to disconnect outside working hours, while nearly half have considered leaving the industry altogether due to stress.
The report highlights a growing mismatch between the expanding demands of social media roles and the structural support provided to the people doing the work.
Is social media’s role growing without clear boundaries?
Metricool’s report suggests social media roles have evolved rapidly into multi-disciplinary positions — often without increases in staffing, pay or structural support.
Today’s social media professionals are expected to manage strategy, content creation, analytics, community management and stakeholder communication simultaneously. Three quarters of respondents said they are expected to juggle too many responsibilities, while nearly 80 per cent regularly deal with urgent requests or last-minute changes that disrupt planned work.
Grace Robinson, social and influencer marketing director at WPP Beauty Tech Labs for L’Oréal ANZ, said the expectation to constantly monitor culture and trends has long been embedded in the role.
“I’ve worked in social media for more than a decade, and the ‘always-on’ nature of the industry isn’t new,” Robinson told B&T.
“There has always been an expectation to have your finger on the pulse of culture and react quickly to what’s happening online.”
Jessica Hankinson, senior designer at Seven West Media, explained that brands increasingly feel pressure to maintain a constant presence on social platforms to “remain visible”.
“There is definitely a sense that businesses need some form of ‘always-on’ marketing to stay relevant and remain on consumers’ radar,” Hankinson said.
“While that may be true, it has created an incredibly saturated landscape, with brands competing for people’s fleeting attention as they scroll through social media.”
For agency leaders, the shift has been equally noticeable.
Gemma Manning, founder of strategic marketing firm Manning & Co, said the demands placed on marketing teams have intensified significantly over the past two decades
“As an owner of a marketing agency, I know only too well the demands of modern marketing and how things have intensified to a level that is unsustainable over the last two decades when I first started Manning & Co,” Manning said.
“Due to rising digital demands and our 24/7 world, clients now want more output than ever.”
Sive Buckley, managing partner at Born Creators Group, said some level of constant monitoring is inherent in the role — but the way organisations structure that work is crucial.
“I’m not surprised by the finding, but I also think ‘always on’ is part of the job when you work in social,” Buckley told B&T.
“The difference is whether that always-on pressure is chaotic and draining, or whether it is structured and planned.”
Constant content pressure fuelling exhaustion
The Metricool report highlights the relentless demand for new ideas as one of the biggest drivers of stress.
Fifty-eight per cent of respondents said constantly coming up with new content ideas was the most difficult aspect of their role, while 54 per cent cited the pressure of being chronically online.
For Hankinson, the expectation that brands must always have something live has created a cycle that can be both exhausting and creatively draining.
“The pressure to constantly have something live is exhausting and overwhelming and often leaves us scrambling for the next idea,” she said.
“With AI now making it easier than ever to generate and publish content instantly, the volume of material entering the market has only increased.”
“Advertising has always been competitive, but the new speed and scale of content creation has intensified the noise.”
Manning said the same dynamic is increasingly visible inside agencies, where teams are expected to respond, optimise and publish content at speed.
“The expectation to constantly respond, optimise and produce work at speed can quickly turn into a cycle where teams feel they are always working but rarely have the time to do the deeper thinking or work that can truly deliver impact,” she said.
That pressure is reflected in the report’s findings that more than 73 per cent of social media professionals regularly work overtime, particularly around campaigns, product launches and crisis moments.
Manning said this constant pace is contributing to rising burnout across the industry.
“Employee burnout is becoming increasingly common in an ‘always-on’ environment where campaigns, content, analytics and engagement never truly stop,” she said.
“In fact, on a global level the world of marketing and advertising agencies is experiencing a burnout rate of almost 70 per cent, according to Resource Guru.”
“So it doesn’t really surprise me that Metricool found 69 per cent of social media professionals are suffering from mental fatigue.”
Buckley agreed that the industry often misunderstands what good social media work actually looks like.
“A lot of people still think social media means chasing trends all day and trying to go viral, but that is a very narrow view of what good social actually is,” she said.
“Social is still about quality, not quantity.”
“It’s about understanding your audience, creating strong content, being consistent and knowing when to react in a way that makes sense for the brand.”
‘Planned reactiveness’ rather than constant panic
While the pressures are real, industry leaders say better planning and clearer boundaries could help reduce some of the strain.
Robinson said technology and scheduling tools now give marketers more opportunities to plan ahead and avoid constant reactive work.
“The conversations around mental fatigue are valid,” she said.
“The difference now is that we have far more tools available to help manage that pressure. Native tools within platforms like Instagram and TikTok allow marketers to plan ahead, forecast trends and reduce the need to be constantly reactive.”
However, she said creating healthier working habits also requires clear boundaries.
“There’s also a misconception that having separate work and personal phones solves the problem,” Robinson said.
“In my experience, carrying two phones can actually heighten the mental load because you’re always aware that the work device is sitting there waiting.”
“An alternative approach I’ve found effective is turning off work notifications outside of working hours so you can properly disconnect.”
Hankinson similarly argued that marketers should not feel pressured to publish constantly if the work itself is not meaningful.
“What is important to remember is that simply having something running all the time doesn’t mean it’s working,” she said.
Hankinson believes to ensure marketing “cuts through the noise” it often means “stepping back, being more deliberate, and returning with a stronger, more considered piece of creative that actually captures attention.”
Buckley said the most effective social teams build reactiveness into their strategy rather than operating in constant panic mode.
“Things change every day, so yes, there is a level of reactiveness required,” she said. “It should be planned reactiveness, not constant panic.”
Manning added that meaningful change may depend on resetting expectations across the industry.
“Many agency owners are stuck in the middle of needing to protect their employees’ mental health and wellbeing while also ensuring that client expectations are carefully managed,” she said.
“With margins already being squeezed on all sides, it is a tricky balance to get right — but something has to give.”
According to Manning, sustainable performance doesn’t come from pushing teams harder.
“It comes from setting realistic expectations and focusing on work that truly matters.”
