Is there anything social media giants can do to put us off social media completely?
With Snapchat’s update being reared as a diabolical plan to ruin everyone’s social life, it triggers the question, “Can social media sites ever do anything that will actually stop people from using them?” Even though apps such as Snapchat have updated features that haven’t been received well by everybody, it is unlikely that every user will boycott the service, even though many have threatened to delete their accounts.
The Update from Hell
Social media sites want to stay current and it’s inevitable in the digital market that things will evolve and change, but a big update like design layout, that doesn’t seem to benefit its users, is a bold move for Snapchat.
It has finally rolled out its design to all users, after previous testing, with the hope that the company will make more money from the renovation. The new update has placed friends’ stories into the inbox section, so they all collate together and moved all the public stories and adverts in a separate section that a user has to swipe left to access.
Tweeting for the Better
Similarly, Twitter has been working on its longevity plan as the site battles with abuse and harassment between users. In October last year, women all around the world decided to stop using the site for a day or longer as an actress was banned for using the platform for commenting on previous affairs in the media. Users thought the ban was unjustified and helped feed into more negative situations. Twitter have dedicated 2018 to tackling hate crime on the site as cyber bullying and negativity has impacted the site’s user count, with many followers refusing to use the social site because they think Twitter aren’t doing enough to combat hateful images, posts and non-consensual behaviour. Nevertheless, Twitter has continued to update its policies in the hope of changing things around by the end of the year.
Updates with a Purpose
Facebook too has taken some big lunges into the unknown and Instagram has also released numerous updates with the focus on brands and their ‘Stories’ section, but what’s the point in design overhauls when users are visually content with daily life on social media sites? Although 2018 started with the idea of social media becoming more beneficial to its users, it seems it’s slowly slipping back into the marketing side of things.
Nevertheless, these app renovations are considered beneficial for brands and users as it separates the accounts, meaning different features and tools are targeted at specific people. It makes the sites more personal, as even Snapchat’s update is aimed at making the ‘Discover’ section more customised to the user.
The digital world is continuously moving forward and maybe social media has stopped growing with us and it’s time we started evolving with it instead.
