Social Media: The Former Big Thing

November 2, 2023

This essay is the work of a dumb humanoid. No smart software required.

It’s a common saying that if you aren’t on social media you might as well not exist. Social media profiles are necessary to be successful in the modern world, but Business Insider claims that many people are spending less time glued to their screens: “Great News-Social Media Is Falling Apart.”

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media giants alienated their users with too much sponsored content and entertainment hubs. Large social media platforms are less about connections and more about generating revenue via clicks. Users are experiencing social network fatigue so they’re posting less and even jumping ship. Users are now spending time group chats or on small, more intimate social platforms. On the small platforms, users are free from curated content and ads. They’re also using platforms for specific groups or topics.

The current state of social media is a fractured, disconnected mess. New networks pop up and run the popularity gambit before they disappear. Users want a social media platform that connects everything with the niche appeal of small networks:

“Mike McCue, Flipboard’s CEO, believes that the next big, social platform must bring together the benefits of both worlds, he said: ‘the quality and trust in small, transparent communities with the ability for those quality conversations to reach millions." But instead of one platform that manages to appease everyone, the future of social media is looking more like a network of platforms that offer people a customized experience. The ideal system would not only allow you to migrate to new social apps without losing your network or profile but also link them together so that you could post on one and a friend could comment on it from another.’”

None of the smaller social media networks are making money yet but the opportunities are there. Users want a clean, ad-free experience similar to how Facebook and Twitter used to be. If decentralized social media platforms learn to connect, they’ll give the larger companies a run for their money and end their monopolies.

Whitney Grace, November 2, 2023

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under News, Social Media

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.