Executives in the pharma and biotech industries have had their fill of social media and are "moving back to an ‘ex-directory’ world, where smaller, restricted networks are of the highest value".

Writing on the firm's website, Chris Molloy, chief executive of RSA, the life sciences executive search and interim management firm, argues that "executives have always relied on personal, privileged networks where access is granted with an understanding that it will not be misused". This group are now "at the forefront of a reaction to the tsunami of random data crashing out of social media channels".

Mr Molloy goes on to say that based on RSA's "own daily interaction with senior talent", an increasing number are being "driven away by an overwhelming flood of information, disillusionment with its value and the amount of time needed to fully utilise and keep up with competing platforms". He adds that social media has created a useful data resource, "but the trough of disillusionment has begun from the top down. What is to come is a return to more personalised networks, enabled by the Internet, but not on public view and not limited to one platform".

Mr Molloy states that "not everyone has bought into an 'always on, always available' global community". There are some who "embrace, enjoy and downright object to these digital transformations", and he believes many senior executives fall into the latter category.

Professionally, Mr Molloy goes on to claim "we know that transformational people are identified by how they influence others, not what they say about themselves. They do not need to market themselves". Even after "an unprecedented reduction in headcount across the Life Sciences, the most transformational people are still actively employed doing great things for great companies, not managing their digital footprint", he concludes.