Over the past couple of decades, the internet has gone through what many have called the social era. In spite of the fact that this is the case, most major social media platforms are in a state of crisis with all things having been considered and taken into account. Twitter has been suffering greatly under the control of Elon Musk, though the platform’s problems are by no means directly correlated with the arrival of the new regime.
Over in Reddit’s corner, the controversial decision to start charging for API access has led to many users as well as developers criticizing the platform. Reddit has failed to address these concerns, leading some to wonder if the last bastion for social media has finally fallen.
Things aren’t looking much better for more popular platforms either. TikTok continues its stunning rise to the top, but the short form video app has been facing numerous blocks and bans around the world.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Meta is experiencing a crisis as well. Facebook has seen a spectacular fall from grace these past years due to the company’s unethical data collection practices and rage fueled algorithm come to light.
This had made people less likely to use Facebook than might have been the case otherwise, and its more popular property Instagram seems like a shadow of its former self. Meta tried to pivot Instagram to an entertainment based model because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making it more competitive with YouTube. But in doing so, it robbed Instagram of the very thing that made it unique.
There are many theories for the supposed end of the social era. Economic strife across the globe has led to a cooling down of growth in many regions, and corporations are therefore having a much harder time obtaining funding to help them get through these trying times.
The growth at all costs model is simply unsustainable in a world where zero interest rates have become a thing of the past. The rise of AI has not helped matters much either, since it has forced social media and tech companies to reshuffle their priorities in an attempt to hop onto what is seeming like the next big trend.
This has spurred a shift from public social media to more privatized models. Growth is being eschewed in favor of generating as much revenue as possible, often to the detriment of the social media platforms that are enacting these changes.
A series of alternative apps like Mastodon and Blue Sky still provide some hope for social media users. However, they will have an uphill battle if they want to replicate the golden age of social media. We might be seeing the rise of a decentralized web, one where individual nodes will service clusters of users instead of a single platform seeking to serve the entire internet.
Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal are also coming to the fore. It will be interesting to see how they replace social media and become the foremost way for people to communicate.
Read next: Exploring the Hidden Aspects Boss Could Notice During Your Working Hours
Over in Reddit’s corner, the controversial decision to start charging for API access has led to many users as well as developers criticizing the platform. Reddit has failed to address these concerns, leading some to wonder if the last bastion for social media has finally fallen.
Things aren’t looking much better for more popular platforms either. TikTok continues its stunning rise to the top, but the short form video app has been facing numerous blocks and bans around the world.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Meta is experiencing a crisis as well. Facebook has seen a spectacular fall from grace these past years due to the company’s unethical data collection practices and rage fueled algorithm come to light.
This had made people less likely to use Facebook than might have been the case otherwise, and its more popular property Instagram seems like a shadow of its former self. Meta tried to pivot Instagram to an entertainment based model because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making it more competitive with YouTube. But in doing so, it robbed Instagram of the very thing that made it unique.
There are many theories for the supposed end of the social era. Economic strife across the globe has led to a cooling down of growth in many regions, and corporations are therefore having a much harder time obtaining funding to help them get through these trying times.
The growth at all costs model is simply unsustainable in a world where zero interest rates have become a thing of the past. The rise of AI has not helped matters much either, since it has forced social media and tech companies to reshuffle their priorities in an attempt to hop onto what is seeming like the next big trend.
This has spurred a shift from public social media to more privatized models. Growth is being eschewed in favor of generating as much revenue as possible, often to the detriment of the social media platforms that are enacting these changes.
A series of alternative apps like Mastodon and Blue Sky still provide some hope for social media users. However, they will have an uphill battle if they want to replicate the golden age of social media. We might be seeing the rise of a decentralized web, one where individual nodes will service clusters of users instead of a single platform seeking to serve the entire internet.
Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal are also coming to the fore. It will be interesting to see how they replace social media and become the foremost way for people to communicate.
Read next: Exploring the Hidden Aspects Boss Could Notice During Your Working Hours
