There's nothing novel about social media platforms anymore

Emmanuel Oyedeji -

Just like Instagram launched the “Reels” feature back in 2020 to combat TikTok's dominance in short-form video, TikTok is putting on the copycat hat and has begun working on a photo and text-sharing app that seems eerily similar to Instagram.

It's the latest escalation in a copycat war where each social media platform takes a page from the other's book.

Copying in the social media world is nothing new. Remember Snapchat's Stories feature? It's practically become a social media staple, with everyone from Twitter (RIP Fleets) to Instagram hopping on the train. Even the addictive "For You" page algorithm that curates content for TikTok users has been replicated by Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

And there are rumours that TikTok may be experimenting with text-based posts to rival X (formerly Twitter) and Meta's Threads app, and could make it possible for users to upload videos as long as 30 minutes, a move that directly challenges YouTube's territory.

So can we agree that there's nothing novel about social media platforms anymore? But, if you have a favourite social media platform, which one is it, and why?

Until next week,

– Emmanuel

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