It feels as though our world is now dominated by social media, digital presence, and that social media engagement is a currency of its own. If you can bottle up social media engagement and cultivate thousands of followers across your social media channels and via engagement, then the world is your oyster.
We say this, and while it is generally true, there are important caveats. In the age before the internet, we had shock jocks on the radio, and newspapers would create a whole flurry of hysteria and headlines to shift units.
This demand still exists, people still thirst for entertainment and news, there are just other means they use to scratch this itch. But as these entire industries have moved into the digital world, we have seen marketing follow suit, and businesses must adapt. With over 5.5 billion people now using social media in some form, is it possible to launch, run, or maintain a successful business while operating completely away from it? Let’s take a look.
Embracing The Digital Future
There are millions of businesses in the world, and too many to individually count, and there are some that must have a strong digital presence through necessity; it sits because of them, the entire business model.
We’re talking about entertainment brands, those people who work as notable figures in the arts, although it is not a necessary requirement, as some A-list actors who shy away from the media and have no social media presence have proven.
However, for an upcoming actor who is looking to break into the industry, and perhaps not one who established themselves in the age before social media, it is a significant uphill task to see how they are able to establish themselves without any social media presence at all.
There are businesses that need it, or they will fail, such as online casinos, which channel the bulk of their marketing and design ideas through the digital marketplace. Casinos like Joe Fortune, which have found success in the digital world, have doubled down on this and now champion digital-only payment methods such as crypto, furthering their commitment to the belief that the future of the industry is entirely digital. Does this apply to every business out there?
Dealing With The Facts
While there is nothing stopping anyone from starting a business, going it alone, and not having a social media or online presence, it creates unnecessary struggle. That’s the truth about it. It’s no secret how poisonous social media is, and how much misinformation is out there, despite how much the tech behemoths try to push back on it.
If you have a habit of doomscrolling or getting pulled into the back-and-forth, divisive rhetoric that sites like X, formerly known as Twitter, thrive on, then it can be a damaging place and counterproductive if you have a vocal business presence that consistently comments on these types of issues.
Ultimately, though, social media and a broader digital presence are cost-effective to set up, open a new line of customers and potential revenue, and don’t take too much time to run.
Yes, there are ways to be more active, but with more businesses using interlinking social media ads to push people to join their digital communities, not having a presence online is highly detrimental, and in 2026, it is next to impossible to grow your business without it.
Practicalities & Considerations Going Forward
For those looking to purchase an already successful business, a digital presence is often a key talking point. If a business already has visibility without doing too much online, someone purchasing the business will often hire a social media specialist or marketer to convert as many customers as possible through their social media engagement.
For business owners, though, it’s about being practical. A lack of digital presence makes it much more difficult for people to find out what you’re about, and if you have a physical location, it can be much harder to find if your business isn’t verified online and linked to Google Maps.
It becomes more problematic for Gen Z and Millennial customers, who can often harbor the misgiving that a business without an online presence is a potential scam, and they would prefer to seek out a competitor via a website or social media channel than call and speak to someone or arrange a face-to-face appointment.
Final Thoughts
While it might be going against the grain and a quirky, genuinely different approach to the current climate, it’s simply not a viable option if you are looking to grow your business beyond a local market, and even if you are staying within a local market, you are still putting yourself at a disadvantage.
This may change as more young people realize the problems posed by social media, but it won’t happen overnight, and unless you are banking on local reputation or have a strong customer base from the off, it’s not a good idea to overlook a digital presence in 2026.
