I spent 11 months studying burnout in the social media management role as someone who grew up in blue-collar hustle culture, and I want to share what I’ve learned.

For starters, no, this is not my typical content BUT it is something I am passionate about and that is the sort of thing I like to write about. This won’t be my topic every week, but I do fully believe this research can really help people who are chronically burnout in their roles. Maybe it’s not social media, but maybe some of the same stressors are what trigger you into burnout. I think I can help and I’d love for you to give this a read. This is really just the tip of the iceberg, so don’t expect to leave feeling like all your problems are solved. You’ll have to come back for that.

For clarity purposes, I don’t think 11 months is the appropriate amount of time to say I am an expert at something. But, I have lived these past 11 months researching, experimenting, and challenging myself, my friends, and my co-workers to find a solution to all this burnout I’ve seen since working in marketing full-time since 2019.

Here is a tip of the iceberg in my research on social media burnout.

Wearing Too Many Hats:

The phrase “wearing too many hats” came up again and again in my research. Social media managers are being asked to fill multiple roles: strategist, copywriter, community manager, analyst, videographer, PR rep, and often with limited resources or recognition. One respondent put it plainly: “My job running social media could be a position in itself, but I have other tasks.”

This overextension leads not only to exhaustion but to a dilution of performance across the board. When professionals are spread too thin, innovation and creativity suffer.

24/7 Access = 24/7 Stress

Being “always on” has become an unspoken expectation. 27% of social media managers said they always work outside traditional business hours, 30.6% said they sometimes do, and another 30.6% said they often do. That’s nearly 9 in 10 working beyond 9 to 5, regularly. The majority report that their work bleeds into evenings, weekends, and even vacations.

This constant connectivity creates an unsustainable cycle of anxiety and mental fatigue. Social media does not operate on a 9-to-5 schedule, but that doesn’t mean social media professionals shouldn’t have structured time to disconnect.

Organizations that fail to build in systems for rotation, coverage, or true off-hours are contributing directly to burnout.

Burnout: A Systemic Issue

My research revealed that nearly 70% of current and former social media managers have either left or considered leaving their roles due to burnout. These are not one-off instances of dissatisfaction but a systemic issue within the marketing and communications industry.

The social media management role is often an intersection of unrealistic expectations, poor boundaries, and a misunderstanding of the labor involved. While businesses recognize the importance of digital presence, they frequently fail to design sustainable roles for the professionals maintaining it.

This post just scratches the surface of my research into burnout in social media management. There’s so much more to uncover. Next, I’ll dive deeper into the causes, stories from professionals on the front lines, and practical solutions organizations can implement to create healthier, more sustainable roles.