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It’s not that people don’t want to engage, it’s that the bar to engage is higher now.
People are still watching a ton, but engagement has become more selective. Liking or commenting isn’t default behavior anymore, it happens when something hits identity, emotion, or feels worth adding to.
A lot of content today is optimized to be consumed, not responded to. It’s clear, polished, informative… but there’s no tension, no opinion, no reason for someone to jump in.
Also, most communities naturally follow the 90-9-1 rule. A small % creates, a slightly bigger % engages, and the majority just watches. That’s always been true, it just feels more obvious now.
What’s been working is shifting from “here’s value” to “here’s something to react to.” Open loops, strong takes, asking for perspective instead of answers, or framing things in a way where people see themselves in it.
For example, look at political content. It’s very “us vs them” mentality. Think of how you can incorporate that into the essence of your own content.
So it’s less about forcing engagement, more about giving people a reason to care enough to respond.
