Data privacy concerns have emerged as the biggest threat to customer engagement through social media, with new research from Incogni indicating that more than half of consumers could abandon platforms if they believe their personal information is not adequately protected.
The findings come as organizations prepare for the next wave of social platforms, where customer engagement increasingly depends on trust as much as innovation.
“For most respondents, the most common reason to leave social media would be a growing threat to their privacy or security. More than half (51 percent) said excessive risk in this area could lead them to delete their accounts,” Incogni stated in its report, The Great Digital Fatigue: How Digital Burnout Is Changing Social Media Use.
Those privacy concerns were well ahead of the second-most commonly selected trigger—harassment, bullying, or hate speech—cited by 41 percent of respondents, highlighting that both personal safety and data protection continue to shape how consumers evaluate their digital experiences.
“Users have every right to be concerned about how their data is handled by Big Tech and by the brands they interact with online,” Darius Belejevas, CEO of Incogni, told CX Today.
“The fact that more than half of respondents say privacy or security risks could push them to delete their social media accounts should be a clear warning: Privacy has moved beyond compliance. It is now central to the trust users place in platforms, brands, and the AI-powered experiences they are asked to engage with.”
For customer experience leaders, the findings indicate that social media strategies must extend beyond content and community building.
Privacy Is Now a Customer Engagement Issue
Incogni’s findings arrive at a time when organizations are exploring newer forms of digital engagement, from creator communities and AI-powered interactions to decentralized social platforms. While these environments offer opportunities to deepen customer relationships, they also introduce new expectations around transparency, moderation and responsible data practices.
According to research from SAP’s Global Engagement Index 2026, social platforms have evolved beyond one-way brand awareness channels that push out content to become destinations for product discovery, customer service, commerce and loyalty. Nearly one in three consumers now begin product searches on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram or YouTube rather than traditional search engines, while brands are increasingly using social engagement data to personalize customer experiences across channels.
But as brands establish a presence across emerging social platforms, customers are placing greater emphasis on how their data is handled and whether online environments feel secure.
The emphasis on trust is becoming increasingly important, as SAP Emarsys reported that 77 percent of businesses plan to invest in AI-driven customer engagement this year, yet around 52 percent of social media users are concerned about brands publishing AI-generated content without clearly disclosing it. Belejevas pointed out:
“AI certainly plays a big role in the social media equation, especially in the daily challenge of users sifting through what is real and what is AI-generated. We all see how social media platforms too quickly embrace AI, posing a direct risk to users’ data.”
“Big Tech often favors opt-in-by-default models, which cannot really translate as consent, paving the way for the next wave of “AI-personalized” tools that will treat public data as available by default,” Belejevas added. “The most recent case is Instagram’s new Muse Image tool, which automatically enrols public accounts in AI image remixing unless users can find a buried opt-out setting. Users have the right to be worried about how their data is handled by Big Tech and should be able to opt out.
The SAP Emarsys report highlights a disconnect between enterprise ambition and execution. While 76 percent of businesses are investing in omnichannel engagement technologies, fewer than 30 percent currently share customer engagement data with a CRM or CX platform, limiting their ability to deliver connected customer experiences.
Digital Fatigue Is Changing How Consumers Engage Online
Incogni’s research also points to wider well-being concerns that could affect customer engagement.
In general, “people are becoming quieter and more guarded online,” as 55 percent report posting less frequently now than they did five years ago.
Around one-third of respondents said they could see themselves leaving social media altogether if they felt they were spending too much time on it, experienced mental health issues linked to its use, or found that social media was causing conflict with family members or other loved ones.
The research suggests that digital fatigue is becoming an increasingly important consideration for brands. Nearly half of respondents said they have deleted a social media or messaging app because it caused stress or anxiety, with the figure rising among Millennials and Gen Z.
More than half said maintaining an online presence feels like work, increasing to 60 percent among Gen Z, indicating that successful social engagement strategies may depend less on encouraging customers to spend more time on platforms and more on delivering meaningful, low-friction interactions.
Brands that respect customers’ attention and make it easy to engage on customers’ own terms are likely to build stronger, longer-lasting relationships as digital fatigue continues to influence online behavior.
Trust is becoming a competitive differentiator, as customers are likely to expect consistent privacy standards and clear communication regardless of which platform they choose to engage on.
Incogni’s research also found that 16 percent of respondents said nothing would persuade them to delete their social media accounts, suggesting that a loyal core of users remains deeply connected to social platforms despite ongoing concerns.
Even so, the overall picture indicates that consumer loyalty cannot be taken for granted.
