Social media marketers are stuck in a burnout trap. Here’s how to break free

It’s almost midnight when the phone buzzes—a client text, a comment that needs a reply, a trend that will be stale by morning. For the people who run brand accounts on social media, the workday never really ends. We’re marketing researchers who study digital and social media wellness and teach the students who go on to fill these jobs. In a study published in September 2025 , we interviewed social