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The end of personal brand era: why the most powerful people online aren’t posting anymore


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Dear Reader,


For the past decade, the personal brand has been gospel.


We have been told to build our voice, be consistent and post valuable content. 

If you weren’t visible online, you were invisible everywhere.


But in 2025, something's shifting (and, I am glad that it's happening), and it’s not just

anecdotal.


The very idea of a personal brand is starting to feel… dated, performed and exhausting, and what’s rising in its place is something more quite, powerful and human.


Private influence.


From “show up” to “shut down”: 


We spent years convincing professionals, founders, and creators to put themselves out there, and many did. 


They shared vulnerably, authentically and consistently.


But after 3 years of pandemic-induced hypervisibility, Zoom calls, live sessions, daily LinkedIn content, the fatigue has started showing now.


The Edelman Trust Institute Trust Barometer 2024 revealed that:

56% of respondents feel that “thought leaders” online are more performative than insightful. 41% said they now trust “quiet experts” more than “loud influencers.”

Meanwhile, Deloitte’s 2023 Digital Media Trends report noted rising “content fatigue” among Gen Z and Millennials, with users actively reducing time spent on traditional feeds and seeking more “closed, context-rich environments.”


Why the personal brand model is breaking?


Let’s break down why the once-aspirational personal brand is now hitting a wall:


1. Self-branding = Self-surveillance:


Posting online, even “authentically”, requires constant self-monitoring. “How will this come across?” “Is this on-brand?” “What if it flops?”


As sociologist Brooke Erin Duffy puts it in The Perils of Performativity (2022):

“The algorithm rewards visibility, but the cost is often psychological — creators begin to measure self-worth through metrics.”

2. The ROI of visibility is shrinking:


The platforms have changed, reach is throttled, engagement is inconsistent, And value is harder to measure.


A tweet might go viral, but convert to… nothing. 


Meanwhile, a private message to the right person sparks a job offer, a deal, a meaningful collaboration.


Influence, the real kind is moving off the feed.


3. Safety, burnout, and the push for privacy:


Women, LGBTQ+ creators, and people of colour report significantly higher levels of online harassment, according to Pew Research (2024). Many are simply opting out of the personal brand race.


Even high-profile creators like Jack Appleby and Steph Smith have written about stepping back from public posting due to burnout and diminishing returns.


The rise of private influence

So what’s replacing public persona?


Not silence, But strategic invisibility.


Influence that’s built through:


  • Private masterminds

  • High-trust Slack and Discord communities

  • Closed-door events

  • Invite-only newsletters

  • DM-based consulting

  • Substack comment sections

  • Even anonymous or pseudonymous accounts with cult followings (hello, @depthsofwikipedia and @kaleidoscope.ideas)


This is what tech researcher Ethan Zuckerman calls the “Small Internet”, where trust is built not through scale, but through intimacy, context, and curation.

As one strategist recently put it:

“I’d rather be unknown to most, and unforgettable to a few.”

From performative to relational:


This shift also redefines what it means to be influential:


  • It’s not about reach, it’s about resonance.

  • Not about the algorithm, but the actual people.

  • Not about being seen everywhere, but being remembered somewhere.


It's also more sustainable. You're not constantly feeding the content machine. You're just showing up where it matters.


So, what now?:

If you're a founder, marketer, or creator, this isn't about abandoning your personal brand.

It’s about decentralising it. Letting influence live in more places than just your LinkedIn profile.


Ask yourself:


  • Where are the rooms that matter to you?

  • Who do you want influence with, not just over?

  • What spaces feel safe enough for you to show up as yourself?


Because in 2025, influence isn't always visible. It's just effective.

Sources and References:


  • Edelman Trust Barometer 2024: edelman.com

  • Deloitte Digital Media Trends 2023: deloitte.com

  • Pew Research Center, Online Harassment Report 2024: pewresearch.org

  • Brooke Erin Duffy, “The Perils of Performativity,” Journal of Digital Culture (2022)

  • Ethan Zuckerman, “The Small Internet,” Knight First Amendment Institute (2021)


Cheers!

Akanksha


Do you need help positioning your offer effectively?


I work with Surrey-based small business owners to create scroll-stopping, trust-building social media content that actually converts, from showing up online with confidence to pricing your offer right I’ve got you.


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