The Downfall of Twitter may sound a little dramatic; but the ramifications are not. Social media is changing. It is evolving.
However, its users and consumers are not giddily skipping hand-in-hand down a yellow brick road with all of these new unfair changes. For the first time in online social history, they are flat out saying NO. No to pay for play subscriptions, ads, or algorithms so bias they should be criminal and more.
The people are saying ENOUGH. They are tired. And they only want to deal with social media brands that are going to present an experience they actually enjoy.
Sadly, the owners of these money making entities are not listening. They have become completely deaf. Thus choosing to ignore the needs, wants and desires of those who have made them powerful as well as commanders and wielders of the ‘almighty’ dollar.
Many social media platforms have already fallen from grace in a well oiled blaze of greed or lack of innovation to adjust with the times. The latest to begin its journey to the pits of annihilation is the big blue bird app in the sky, Twitter.
Twitter for years was the modern ticker tape for news and entertainment. Fun, sleek and wildly honest. Driven by real people and their insights into various aspects and subjects of life. However, in one fell swoop the glorious Twitter has been ran through. Et tu Twitter? Is all we the masses can say as we watch yet another platform bleed slowly out. How did this happen?
The Downfall of Twitter: Is Social Media Death Upon Us?
Big corp always wants to join the game on the playground, even if it is well underway. Think about it: when social media got its start; were brands and companies around? No. Not really.
Social media started off as a way to keep up with friends and family. At least, that’s how they originally sold us on it idea-wise. Nevertheless, back in the day, algorithms were not the wicked witch; they were more like Gilda. Giving good vibes and truly allowing anyone to be in the mix.
Those days. Man, talk about no stress. Numbers, likes, and followers no big deal. If you had a ton great. If not, still not a problem. You could still be seen if you really wanted to. Heck, even Instagram allowed you to put 30 new hashtags on a post; WEEKS later after originally posting it and people would see it like it was NEW.
Nevertheless, all good things come to an end. A shift occurs. Especially, when money and also power show their evil head.
Flash forward several years… Social media is becoming a whos-who realm. Brands who before stuck to radio, TV, road billboard ads to push products; finally begin to see social media as a viable marketing machine. Why? Because millions to billions of people are all on there showcasing their creativity.
Companies and brands note people posting photos, videos, artwork, music, poetry all to people and an audience who ‘trust’ them. The template for success is already there and in place. Just do what the ‘locals’ do.
Also, the time to join was ripe. People were becoming social media famous. A new phenomenon of celebrity comes to birth. Now literally everyone can be a star if enough eyes, viewers and followers deem them worthy.
Brands saw they could take advantage of this new stardom. Offer free products to be posted to audiences that love these new celebs. Also, these famous newbies love this collaboration; because now influencers can look ‘bigger’ because a brand is ‘behind’ them.
Also, companies could repost content from those they give products to; or those who buy and post about it. Not only saving themselves money from having to do photo shoots and video creation; but still feeding into the new ego of individuals wanting to be seen or those wishing to build a following to be a social star and make BANK.
Influencing became big money for individuals and a humongous marketing baby for brands. However, something more evil was lurking behind the scenes.
Is Twitter Dying? Along with the Rest of Social Media?
Small businesses and individuals making money is never a problem. In fact, it helps the economy. However, what happens when greed takes over? Nothing good.
The downfall of Twitter and other social media platforms is avoidable. But they are choosing to empty the clip into their own foot anyway. What are they doing? Killing off small businesses, user experience and demanding, literally attempting to squeeze out every dime from their platform users.
How are they ruining user experience and enjoyment? For one, they do not pay the creators and people who keep their apps going like a well-oiled machine. That should always be the price of business when it comes to social media; but it is not.
Also, many platforms have implemented rules and taken away features or advantages that allowed users to gain traction. Nevertheless, this is where Twitter outshines though. One well-crafted tweet, at the right moment can go viral.
People like social media because they can be “social.” It’s no fun if you feel like you are communicating with yourself. Twitter is like an online social café. In seconds you can hold a discussion with other peers or even your favorite celebrities.
However, the company has come under fire and scrutiny for pushing unkind and problematic tweets to the fore. Is this a good formula for continuing success? No.
Other platforms have been created with this same formula and they have gone belly up; or are not receiving nearly the advertising money as more lucrative platforms. For instance, advertisers are already threatening Elon Musk to bail out if he allows too much degradation. Musk is promising things will be okay and that everyone will be safe and happy.
Nevertheless, the proof is already in the pudding. The only formula that works is safely allowing people to freely show their creativity via words, pictures and videos. Not to an algorithm controlled select few, but to a large audience if an user publicly wishes to do so. Tamper with that experience too much and you head to platform death.
Twitter Blue – My GAWD… Elon Musk Twitter Wants You to Continue to Pay to Play
Pay for a service that was once free. Are they kidding? No, youngling… the siths are not LOL.
Advertising money is no longer enough of a profit for social media platforms. They want even more. The goal? To burn a hole in your pockets.
You will need to pay for more visibility, or for a blue check (which in our opinion then makes it just a vanity thing to have); and just to enjoy the service in general. Twitter Blue has been opening their trench coat trying to offer an enhanced experience on these streets for $4.99.
This option is purely BS. It’s greed from CEOs and stockholders who want astronomical profits. You shouldn’t have to pay to be verified or gain visibility and traction. Therefore, there is literally nothing in it anymore for users.
Moreover, these companies are ignoring GLARING issues. First of all, most people who are on these platforms don’t make a lot of money. Inflation is gripping the U.S. and entire globe. Also, others are in debt.
For instance, the average American is in about 100k debt-wise. Additionally, wages are not increasing with the prices. Plus, due to streaming, people are most likely are already paying monthly for a ton of entertainment services.
Therefore, where do these platforms think all of these ‘unlimited’ funds are coming from? Already, the masses are beginning to decide between food and which services are worth keeping on a monthly basis. Why? Because no one wants to have to keep doling out hundreds of dollars for things not keeping a roof overhead.
HBO, Amazon, Hulu and Netflix are all already seeing dips. Therefore, why social media platforms think this is a good model to throw all their eggs into the basket; one can not know.
Subscriptions have to be apart of a brand’s makeup from the VERY beginning. Otherwise, it seems unfair later on. Think of all the apps that started off free for years then decided to turn themselves into a paid subscription. A lot of those companies are no longer with us.
Social Media Ads- The Ultimate Serial Killer
Reigning Social media platforms have survived new competition in some ways. However, the final BOSS is steadily killing them off. And none will eventually be able to continue to ante up and unlock the next level. Why not?
Two words: User Experience. People hate ads. They loathe spam.
We have become a world, where everywhere we turn someone is trying to sell us something. This invasive advertising has led consumers to be on the run. Constantly maneuvering around to platforms offering less bombardment.
Ads have Grim Reapered several social medias over the years. Facebook as well as Instagram aka Meta and Pinterest have unbearably filled feeds with adverts. Some even feel TikTok is starting to err on the side of annoying when it comes to advertising.
Furthermore, many social platforms have adopted the stance that you need to pay to be seen period. They have put in place algorithms most people and their accounts can’t beat. So then, it becomes a lottery. Your friends, family and followers may or may not see anything that you post. A shame.
This lack of engagement has led to social media being quite… stale. It is no longer fun or useful to almost anyone. Of course, there are those that are still doing well with these platforms; however, for most social media can feel like a dead-end. You post but it does not lead to anything or anywhere.
This staleness has caused people to flock to platforms that do give more engagement. There has been a TikTok renaissance, seeing a platform originally for Gen Z and millennials; now have a LARGE array of people of all ages on it. Why? Because it’s FUN… and people can SEE your posts.
TikTok’s growing popularity has caused just about every other social media to try to immolate it. However, the copies are falling short. No one likes them as much.
Twitter even gave up on having a TikTok equivalent. Why? You can’t beat the original, and so no one was using it. Also, Meta literally changed their entire platform into a TikTok via Reels and they are still losing traction.
The new name of the game is going to be user experience. Once TikTok changes the algorithm and makes itself less fun; people will leave. There is no longer any loyalty to a particular platform. Social media companies will either cave and do things for the people to their liking; or they will suffer and have to watch the mass exodus.
L’Oreal Suspends Advertising Spending on Twitter
There have already been some signs of the downfall of Twitter. And you guessed it, it has to deal with advertising. Twitter DEPENDS on it. Without advertisers the company would fold like an elephant stepping on a toothpick.
Literally, just 5 days after Musk’s acquisition of the bird app, L’Oreal announces that they are pulling out. No more ad spending on Twitter. Is this a big deal? HECK YEAH!
While some may say the opposite. Let’s look at a few facts and you can decide for yourself. Think about this:
- L’Oreal is one of world’s top 10 advertisers
- It is one of the biggest cosmetics companies in the entire world
- L’Oreal owns a BUNCH of brands that people may not even realize they are over. Entities such as: Yves Saint Laurent, Maybelline, Essie, Garnier, Lancôme, NYX, Kiehl’s, Skinceuticals, and Urban Decay to name a very few.
Losing a top 10 advertiser is never a good sign. Plus, it helps encourage others to pump the gas and speed off into the sunset as well. Nevertheless, the truth is that Twitter was never a big player in the advertising world anyway. So it’s really not a big deal for advertisers to pack up their things at their abusive boyfriends social media house; and be willing to start a new life elsewhere.
Advertisers go where the people are congregating. They need eyes to survive. Therefore, if a social media platform is losing users; you can bet the house that advertisers are already looking to find out where the crowd has gone so they can come join the party too.
Elon Twitter – The Slippery Slope
Well, celebrities are already jumping ship LOL. Some are vowing never to return; while others are threatening to be “gone like Enron” if things continue to worsen, hello Stephen King. However, it is not just the rich and famous who are hanging onto Elon Musk Twitter by a thread.
Yes, there are Twitter users in general who are not liking where things are heading. While a nice chunk is happy and thrilled about the future. There’s another sizable chunk that are either:
1. Trying to find a new Twitter social media replacement.
2. Have their finger on the button to delete their account.
3. Want to stick around only to see Elon Twitter become the next MySpace.
None of these above 3 reasons will mean a successful tweet-ful future. Nevertheless, Elon hopes to make Twitter profitable by enticing people to pay $8 a month. However, if people weren’t down to pay half of that for Twitter Blue, $8 even starts to feel like a fairytale stretch.
Yet, we live in a realm where Patreon and OnlyFans exist. So, who knows. There may come to be some ready to fork over their credit cards in the name of Tweeting.
Social Media Dying -Is the Future Bleak?
The downfall of Twitter, Meta and Snapchat has many wondering about the future. Will social media fade into oblivion? Maybe, but not for some time.
People enjoying sharing their life; people enjoy being social. They love it even. And that’s an entertainment love that we don’t see going away any time soon. What we do foresee is the going away of platforms that are too rigid to change with the times.
It’s like real estate; there’s a buyers and sellers market. For years, social media platforms (the sellers) have had us, the people, in a chokehold. We played by their rules, their way and have slowly come to loathe their various changes.
However, the market has changed. It is now in favor of the buyers, the consumers. Users are no longer going to “buy into” any platform that sucks and is no fun. And when things no longer suit consumers; they are now confident to just leave and go elsewhere.
Nonetheless, this actually creates an exciting era. There is room for new platforms to spring up to put the fun back into posting. Imagine a new IG that is like the original with a wide open algorithm, hashtag freedom and feed where you can actually see the posts of people you follow.
Or, picture a new Twitter that is the amazing, entertaining news source that you love. And without you having to say, “Ugh… wish I didn’t have to keep seeing that negativity.” Man… doesn’t that sound refreshing? Lol.
Well, the time is so right for that to happen. Anyone who wants to be a billionaire should immediately get to work. Crazily, what these CEOs and stockholders don’t get is that people would pay for an above level experience.
Seriously, if Instagram put everything back without people needing to adjust and click on things in their settings. No limiting hashtags, chronological order, the original algorithm, no follower limits, allow people to follow and unfollow as they please. Also, go a step above. Let everyone have access to all extra features. Anyone can have links, anyone can earn off of reels.
You want to see people on a platform 24/7? With incentives like those, everyone and their mother will be on there. Even if they had to pay a yearly fee. Why? Because it’s still fun and beneficial.
People will pay for things that entertain them, hi Netflix. However, these apps are going to have to go back to offering something. They can longer strip everything away like dictators and try to remain the supreme rulers. For any platform that wants to continue down their authoritarian path, we suggest a Google search into French history to learn the eventual outcome.
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