What Makes a Good Social Media Platform?
July 17, 2023
Digital Marketing
Recent Social Media craze
With the recent hype over the new Threads app, it raises the question of how it became so popular so quickly. Twitter’s downfall and its own flaws were ultimately the reason for this. This time though, let’s analyze what actually makes a good social media platform and the brilliance of the release of Threads.
People should be free to communicate on the platform
Why else would netizens use social media in the first place? Aside from the other practical uses of communication, marketing, etc., platforms should obviously not hinder its users from being able to express thoughts and feelings (looking at you, Twitter tweet limit), with limitations of course. The freedom of expression social media platforms provide people should not be abused and that’s why guidelines exist. Good rules and guidelines make for good discourse.
Humans are a communicative species. We live over social interaction, and over-monetization of the things that make social media, well, social media, is definitely a step in the wrong direction as people would not want to pay just to be able to talk, let alone practice their freedom of expression that platforms give. It’s just how life works.
Is there a superficial demand for a platform?
Arguably, the success of Threads may be connoted to perfect timing. As with the times, platforms are considerably changing, but not always for the better. One of the largest social medias people have grown to love is now being ruined by, “not good” leadership. Thanks to this, people have started to look for something new. The smart release of Threads in the current situation was all people needed to start connecting again.
It has to connect us
Threads had no problem with connecting people with each other despite being new since it is directly connected to its predecessor, Instagram. If it still hasn’t been made clear, Threads uses Instagram’s follower list so that people are familiar with each other. Because of this, Threads does a good job at making users feel a part of something big already.
They have to evolve—in the right direction
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have all gone a long way in developing and evolving into the platforms we know today. However, not all upgrades are for the better. Some criticisms always take form every update as nostalgia sometimes gets the better of us (bring back Pet Society!). Even so, it does not take light away from how well some of these platforms have changed. Facebook now has a growing number in online sellers and businesses which is a mark of a good way of connecting people and how large of a platform it is.
Despite the constant evolution of these platforms, developers should remember that, above all else, the users are the most important part of social media. Without them, the word social would lose all meaning.
