Think about this. It’s 11 PM, and while most people are winding down for the night, a social media manager somewhere is frantically responding to an angry customer’s comment to avoid a PR nightmare.
That’s the reality for social media managers on a random Tuesday.
Short Summary
- Social media managers face digital marketing burnout and social media fatigue due to unrealistic expectations, constant availability, and undervaluation of their complex, strategic work.
- The long-standing myth that they “just post online” hides the extensive strategy, creativity, data analysis, and emotional labor behind every post.
- Underpayment, blurred boundaries, and lack of recognition create a cycle of burnout that damages both employee well-being and brand performance.
- True justice means fair pay, access to proper tools, realistic workloads, and recognition of social media management as a vital marketing function.
- To drive change, companies must act now by supporting social media professionals, amplifying their voices, and fostering healthier, more sustainable digital workplaces.
Not to mention, a Hootsuite report shows that 41% of social media managers admit their work negatively impacts their mental health.
Let that sink in for a moment. Nearly half of the people creating those posts that make you smile, laugh, or think are struggling behind the scenes.
And that’s exactly why we need justice for social media managers.
These digital warriors are expected to be mind readers, crisis managers, creative geniuses, customer service reps, and brand ambassadors, all rolled into one.
And that too for a salary that doesn’t reflect the sheer scope of what they do.
It’s time we stopped taking social media managers for granted and started recognizing them for what they really are: essential professionals who deserve respect, fair compensation, and most importantly, support for their well-being.
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What Makes the Social Media Manager Role So Misunderstood?
“Oh, you just post stuff on Instagram all day? That sounds so fun!”
If you’re a social media manager, you’ve probably heard some version of this more times than you can count, and each time, you’ve likely died a little inside.
The “just posting” stereotype is perhaps the most damaging misconception plaguing this profession, and it’s exactly why so many people think managing social media is easy, fun, or something anyone can do in their spare time.
But the reality of the situation is that calling social media management “just posting” is like saying a chef “just heats up food” or a teacher “just talks to kids.”
It completely ignores the mountain of strategy, psychology, creativity, and technical skill that goes into every single piece of content.
In fact, before a “simple” post goes live, a social media manager has to”
- Research trending topics and audience behavior patterns
- Analyze competitor strategies and platform algorithm changes
- Create or coordinate visual assets with designers
- Write a copy that blends with the brand voice while being optimized for each platform
- Schedule content at the best times to get ideal engagement in different time zones
- Set up tracking parameters to measure performance
- Prepare response strategies for potential reactions
And that’s just the posting part. The real work happens in the spaces between posts. This mostly includes monitoring conversations, managing crises in real-time, building genuine community connections, analyzing data to inform future strategies, and somehow making a brand feel human in an increasingly digital world.
Yet because the end result looks effortless (which, let’s be honest, is the whole point), people assume the process is effortless too.
Featured Article: 10+ Social Media Management Tips
How Did “Just Posting” Become the Industry’s Biggest Lie?
The “just posting” myth grew strong over the years, and frankly, we all played a part in creating this monster.
The Early Days Set the Wrong Tone
Remember when social media first exploded? Back in 2010, when Facebook Pages were all the rage, many businesses treated social media as an afterthought.
Companies genuinely believed social media was simple because, well, their teenage employees seemed to do it easily in their personal lives.
This casual approach worked for a hot minute because back then, the algorithms were forgiving, competition was light, and audiences were just happy to see brands show up online at all. But those days are long gone.
Success Bred Its Own Problem
The irony is that social media managers became too good at their jobs. When you scroll through your feed and see perfectly timed posts that feel spontaneous, witty responses that seem naturally hilarious, and brand personalities that feel authentic, you need to that that’s not accidental.
That’s the result of a sophisticated strategy and countless hours of work.
But the better we got at making it look easy, the more people believed it actually was easy. We became victims of our own expertise.
The Explosion That Nobody Prepared For
What started as “posting on Facebook” evolved into managing 11+ platforms simultaneously, each with different audiences, algorithms, content formats, and best practices.
Instagram alone now requires understanding of:
- Feed posts, Stories, Reels, and Shopping tags
- Hashtag strategies that change weekly
- Creator tools and partnership programs
- Algorithm updates that can tank your reach overnight
Where Does the Real Injustice Begin for Social Media Managers?
The real injustice starts when misunderstandings about social media manager jobs translate into actual workplace practices that exploit, underpay, and burn out talented professionals.
These include:
Underpaying SMM Professionals
When employers believe social media management is simple, they price it accordingly. Entry-level social media managers often earn less than administrative assistants, despite requiring specialized skills, creative thinking, and the ability to directly impact revenue.
Here’s what’s particularly maddening. A social media manager might create a single post that drives $50,000 in sales, but because it “only took 30 minutes to post,” their contribution gets minimized.
Meanwhile, the strategy, research, audience insights, and creative execution that made that post successful become completely invisible to leadership.
Not to mention, companies will happily pay $15,000 for a single billboard that might be seen by thousands, but balk at properly compensating someone who creates content seen by millions and can actually track engagement and conversions.
Setting Unrealistic Expectations
Social media managers have become the catch-all for anything digital, and the expectations have become absolutely ridiculous.
At least once in your career, you’ve probably heard:
“Can you also manage our website, email marketing, and customer service?”
“We need you to create professional videos, but we don’t have a budget for equipment or editing software.”
“Why did our post only get 100 likes? Can you make something go viral by tomorrow?”
“Can you respond to comments in Spanish, French, and Mandarin?” (For a monolingual manager)
In fact, a friend recently told me about a job posting seeking a “Social Media Manager” who would also handle graphic design, video editing, influencer partnerships, paid advertising, content writing, community management, analytics reporting, and “other marketing duties as assigned”, and that too for $35,000 a year!
The Boundary Problem
Social media never sleeps, and somehow that’s become the manager’s problem, not the company’s problem to solve with proper resources.
Let’s consider completely hypothetical examples that may or may not be based on a true example.
You might consider Sarah, a social media manager at a mid-size retailer, who gets calls from her boss at 9 PM because a customer left a negative review. Or Marcus, who had to manage a brand crisis during his sister’s wedding because “you’re the only one who knows how to handle this stuff.”
The expectation of constant availability is just as inconvenient as it is unsustainable. Yet companies treat it as part of the job description rather than a serious boundary issue that requires solutions like after-hours support systems or crisis protocols.
Emotional Labor
Here’s something that nobody talks about. Social media managers absorb an enormous amount of emotional labor that never appears in their job descriptions.
They’re the ones who:
- Read every angry comment and nasty DM directed at the brand
- Jot down empathetic responses to genuinely upset customers
- Navigate heated political discussions that somehow end up on the company’s pizza recipe post
- Deal with internet trolls, harassment, and sometimes genuine threats
- Maintain a cheerful brand voice even when they’re personally having a terrible day.
Disappearing Credits
Perhaps most frustrating is how social media managers’ work gets credited to everyone except them:
- A viral campaign gets attributed to the “marketing team’s creativity.”
- Increased brand awareness gets credited to “great products.”
- Crisis management gets chalked up to “good leadership.”
- Revenue driven by social gets attributed to “overall marketing efforts.”
Meanwhile, when something goes wrong, it’s definitely the social media manager’s fault.
What Actually Happens Behind Every Single Post?
There’s a lot that goes into a post. Let’s take a look at the hours of multidisciplinary work that social media consultants put into their content.
The Strategist Phase
Typically, a social media manager starts their day not by posting, but by analyzing. This can take around 30-45 minutes. They check:
- What content performed well yesterday (and why)
- What conversations are happening in their industry
- What their competitors posted (and how their audience reacted)
- Whether any news or trends could impact their brand messaging
- Which content pillars need attention this week
The Content Creator Phase
The next stage is the most crucial, which takes a huge chunk of their time. The social media manager needs to:
- Brainstorm post concepts that align with brand goals AND current trends
- Write an easy-to-read copy that works for the platform’s algorithm AND sounds authentically human
- Consider how this post fits into the week’s content strategy
- Make sure the message is relatable for their specific audience segments
- Consider what time their audience is active, and whether the content can still be relevant later on.
The Designer Phase
Once the content is created, the social media managers assume the position of visual experts. They play a role in design by:
- Selecting or creating images that stop the scroll
- Ensuring brand consistency across colors, fonts, and visual style
- Optimizing image dimensions for different platforms (Instagram square vs. Stories vs. Reels)
- Creating graphics in Canva, Photoshop, or whatever tools they can access
- Sometimes shooting original photography or coordinating with photographers
The Community Manager Phase
Before hitting publish, they’re already thinking about what comes next:
- What questions might people ask in the comments?
- Are there any potential negative reactions they should prepare responses for?
- What kind of engagement do they want to encourage?
- How will they follow up with commenters throughout the day?
The Analyst Phase
At this stage, the technical side kicks in. Social media managers are involved in:
- Choosing optimal posting times based on audience activity data
- Writing alt-text for accessibility
- Selecting relevant hashtags (researching which ones are currently effective)
- Setting up tracking parameters to measure performance
- Cross-posting adaptations for other platforms
The Crisis Manager Phase
Once the post goes live, the work actually intensifies. Now, the social media managers become PR experts. They have to:
- Monitor comments and respond quickly (studies show brands have about 1 hour to respond before customers get frustrated)
- Watch for any unexpected reactions or misinterpretations
- Engage authentically while maintaining brand voice
- Sometimes do damage control if something gets taken the wrong way
The Data Scientist Phase
Days or weeks later, they’re still working on that “simple” post. At this point, they have to:
- Analyze engagement rates, reach, and conversion data
- Compare performance to similar content
- Identify what worked and what didn’t
- Use insights to inform future content strategy
- Report results to stakeholders who want to know ROI.
Why Does This Invisible Workload Lead to Burnout?
Social media management is one of the few jobs where your “office” follows you everywhere. As a result, your work never truly stops, and your mental health becomes collateral damage in the quest for engagement.
Let’s talk about why that invisible workload often leads to social media burnout.
The Mental Health Tax Nobody Talks About
Remember that Hootsuite statistic we mentioned? 41% of social media managers say their work negatively impacts their mental health.
That’s because social media managers also manage emotions. Every day, they’re absorbing:
- Customer complaints and angry rants directed at the brand
- Internet trolls who hide behind anonymity to say truly vicious things
- The pressure to stay positive and “on-brand” even when dealing with harassment
- Constant criticism from people who think they could do the job better
- The emotional whiplash of going from a heartwarming customer story to a brutal takedown in the same hour
No Work-Life Balance
Unlike most professions, social media operates in global time zones. This creates a unique psychological burden that other jobs simply don’t have.
Social media managers often can’t turn off work notifications because genuine emergencies do happen.
A product recall, a PR crisis, or even a viral moment that needs capitalization can’t wait until Monday morning. But this means they’re literally never “off duty.”
Even when social media managers take time off, they’re often still monitoring accounts “just in case.”
In fact, one manager told me she scheduled her honeymoon posts in advance but still found herself checking comments from her beach chair in Hawaii because she was worried about negative feedback going unaddressed.
The Constant Comparison
Social media managers spend their days immersed in everyone else’s highlight reels, not just as casual observers, but as professional analysts. This constant exposure to curated perfection takes a psychological toll because:
- They’re analyzing competitor success while potentially feeling inadequate about their own performance
- They’re surrounded by influencers and brands with massive budgets and resources they don’t have
- They’re measuring their “authentic” brand content against highly produced, expensive campaigns
How Does Undervaluing This Role Hurt Brands Too?
Undervaluing social media managers can drastically harm brands, as burnt-out social media managers can lead to digital marketing burnout. Here’s how:
The Death of Creativity
One of the greatest reasons for social media fatigue is burnt-out social media managers. When these individuals are required to churn out content, their creativity suffers.
Instead, they create safe, uninspired content that gets the job done but doesn’t inspire. This often leads to missed opportunities to capitalize on trends.
High Turnover
High turnover in social media roles creates massive brand consistency problems. Every time a social media manager leaves:
- Brand voice gets reset (and often sounds awkward during transitions)
- Institutional knowledge about what works disappears
- Community relationships built over months get abandoned
- New hires need 3-6 months to understand the audience and find their groove
What Would Real ‘Justice’ for Social Media Managers Look Like?
Justice for social media managers is all about creating professional standards that match the reality of the work. Here’s what actual fairness would look like in practice.
Fair Compensation That Reflects True Value
Real justice means providing salaries that acknowledge social media managers are marketing strategists. Companies should pay based on the revenue impact and specialized skills required, not on the outdated perception that it’s “easy work.”
Proper Tools and Resources
Real justice means giving social media managers the professional tools they need to do their jobs efficiently, rather than expecting miracles with free design software and a zero budget.
What this looks like:
- Professional social media management platforms like Social Champ can automate scheduling across multiple platforms, provide analytics insights, and streamline content workflows
- Design software subscriptions (Adobe Creative Suite, Canva Pro)
- Quality equipment for content creation (cameras, lighting, editing software)
- Budget for stock photos, graphics, or video content
- Access to social listening tools and competitor analysis platforms
Professional Respect and Recognition
Real justice also means to include social media managers in strategic discussions, giving them credit for successes, and treating their expertise as valuable rather than replaceable.
Realistic Workload Expectations
Right-sizing responsibilities and providing adequate support for the scope of work required is another way to offer justice for social media managers.
Here’s what you can do:
- Separate content creators, community managers, and paid advertising specialists instead of expecting one person to do everything
- Set reasonable content quotas and prioritize quality over quantity.
- Recognize that managing TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X requires different skills and adequate time
- Build a proper timeline for strategy, creation, and testing for a campaign
Featured Article: Social Media Managers Reveal the Biggest Challenges That They Face
How Can Companies Start Creating Change Right Now?
If you want to join the movement and bring justice for social media managers, here are a few steps you can take:
- Remove tasks that aren’t actually social media management (customer service, general marketing, web design). If you need those done, hire separately or clearly define which tasks take priority.
- Track how much time each “simple post” actually takes from strategy to analysis. Use this data to justify proper staffing levels and realistic content quotas.
- Define what constitutes a true emergency (product recalls, major PR crises) versus what can wait until business hours. Create protocols so managers aren’t the default crisis responders for everything.
- Get professional scheduling software, design subscriptions, and analytics platforms. Stop expecting professional results from free tools and makeshift solutions.
- Focus on meaningful KPIs (engagement rates, conversions, brand sentiment) instead of vanity metrics (follower counts, post frequency). Let managers optimize for results, not arbitrary numbers.
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Why Is This More Than a Conversation? It’s a Movement!
This isn’t just another article complaining about workplace problems. We’re starting a movement of social media professionals who are done being undervalued and companies who are realizing that treating this role as “just posting” is costing them talent, creativity, and revenue.
The social media managers still fighting the good fight deserve immediate action, not more promises of “we’ll look into it someday.” If you’re a company leader reading this, start implementing these changes this week, not next quarter, not after the next budget cycle, but now.
If you’re a social media manager, share your real workload, advocate for proper resources, and know that you deserve professional respect and fair compensation.
Justice for social media managers is long overdue for professional recognition for people who shape how millions of customers experience your brand every single day.
