The Race for the Social Prize

Facebook’s recent rebranding to Meta brought to light a fun juxtaposition at play between the aspirations of social media platforms and their users. The parent companies want to be seen as creators of world-shaping technology. The users want to send memes of dogs sitting in Barcaloungers. How this plays out is every new feature is met with backlash from users - and then begrudgingly accepted and part of life.

No time to be real? Don’t worry, live updates will come to whichever app you use.

Vertical scrolling video not your thing? Good news, it’s on every platform.

And on we go. The social platforms will usually bet on the fact that they understand consumer behavior better than most consumers; the usage stats suggest they’re right (something to consider for the NFT and Metaverse skeptics among us). So, as we hurdle towards a future with Web3 and AI, the social networks are primed to stay at the forefront.

What this means is consumers now have options. While in years past it felt like the announcement of a new social platform was industry-changing news that could only happen at an event like SXSW, it now happens on what feels like a weekly basis. For app-creators, greed may be good but unfortunately, social remains a zero-sum game; if consumers spend more time on TikTok, it means less time elsewhere.

While it’d be difficult to predict what the next great social media app is primed to disrupt, a few themes have begun to emerge:

The interactions will be different.

A brief history of social apps that have captured the collective zeitgeist have iterated on what came before them:

● The Facebook news feed offered a chance to instantly keep up and connect with friends.

● Twitter invented microblogging and offered a chance to interact with celebrities and brands.

● Instagram took the visual aspects of Facebook, stripped away everything else, and made it about documenting your life.

● And then Pinterest, Vine, TikTok, etc.

Historical precedent would suggest this trend persists; as humans, we are naturally creatures of habit, so it makes sense for change to be incremental. But if the to-be-released Apple headset is any indication, the future of how we interact could look very different faster than expected.

The algorithms will know you better than you know yourself.

A brief aside: in 2007, ESPN ran a segment where Buffalo Bills Rookie Marshawn Lynch showcased the nightlife in Buffalo and raved unironically about the ambiance and decor at Applebee’s. Viral videos weren’t totally a thing yet, but this checked all the boxes. My friends (correctly) thought it was the funniest video in the world. So when it was recreated 15 years later, served to me via TikTok, and eventually texted to a friend, his response was “I feel like they’re directly catering to me and you.”

The TikTok algorithm is just the beginning. Machine learning is only going to get smarter (one suspects this will continue to benefit the wickedly talented Marshawn Lynch).

It will be informed by Gen Z behavior you can’t relate to.

All social apps make sense until they don’t (Hi Tom!). TikTok was aided by a global pandemic and people sitting around - but their rise would have happened anyway. Their platform made sense for how a new audience wanted to communicate. 

So, when the next social app comes and inspires equal-parts excitement and concern, the only given is that it will fit the needs of a new audience who want something different.

It will scare your parents (and maybe you).

There’s a saying in the sports world that father time is undefeated, and the same holds true for social apps. Eventually, new technology is just not a priority in your life when you have less curiosity for new ideas (who would watch a social network dedicated to other people playing video games?). So just remember when the time comes - and the new app doesn’t make sense to you - the kids are alright.

What’s Next?

The only constant in social and tech is change. Facebook started as a college look book and now they are a tech giant shaping the future of AI and the Metaverse (and where your parent-friends sell lightly used toddler necessities). Future interactions are expected to be different as we incorporate new technologies into everyday life. So, while we can decode and pick apart each generation’s habits and their favorite platforms du jour, it’s smarter to embrace the ever-evolving nature of technology and the resiliency of the younger generations.