We are saturated with social media. According to statistics, 37% of the world is actively using social media.
Facebook has 2bn users, Instagram 700m and even Snapchat has 301m. Instinctively, this feels like impressive uptake for something just shy of its sixth birthday.
Or is it? After all, there are around 579 million people in North America, of which 71 million are Snapchat users, giving us an adoption figure of around 12% in that region.
With some investigative googling, you can see that most major inventions, including the TV, the fridge etc, took about 5 years to reach half of the same region.
It’s the same story as cable, digital and on-demand TV. Whilst television sets spread like wildfire, as the choice of channels increased, audiences became fragmented and the impact of any one new channel or innovation decreased.
Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t good features coming out all the time – despite the slightly stalkerish overtones, SnapMaps is loved by some.
Features over function
The problem is function.
Until the dawn of the hybrid and electric car, the biggest innovations in automotive technology in the last twenty-five years were the GPS and rear-view parking cameras. Some of the other developments have been helpful – Bluetooth pairing, onboard diagnostics and LED headlights and so on, but really this reinforces the point – it’s features.
It’s not revolution. It’s not the ‘wow’ moment you got when you used Facebook for the first time and realised that you were using something entirely different that was going to change the way an entire generation behaves.
there’s been no shortage of new, interesting features
In fact, there’s been no shortage of new, interesting features; last year, Instagram launched its ‘story’ feature – then Facebook did, four years after Snapchat did. Facebook has tried ephemeral messaging, but it’s never really taken off.
And one USP that many brands are holding onto – VR – has yet to take off, especially for social network owners. Despite controversy, I solidly agree that brands should be wary of VR today.
Facebook’s advantage with owning Oculus Rift has yet to prove truly compelling – and even with a cut in price, I can’t justify shelling out for a mid-tier headset.
The need for differentiation?
Similarly, differentiation could help to give social networks a USP – for example, Flickr defining itself as for fun-loving photographers, compared to 500px’s more serious, professional focus.
one of the amazing things about 21st century culture is the ability to mix-and-match your interests
However, on reflection, one of the amazing things about 21st century culture is the ability to mix-and-match your interests. Decades ago, you were a rock fan or a pop fan, defining yourself narrowly with your interests – today, it’s ok to love Harry Potter and Rage Against The Machine, or trance and opera.
Consequently, focusing a social network by audience – like MySpace going after the music crowd – may not even work in future.
It’s messy, and I can see a time when social networks will either be like broadband – something of a low-margin liability where no-one really wants to own the infrastructure but someone has to – or TV, where broadcasters have to invest considerable amounts and fight incredibly hard to keep their heads above water.
Until someone makes social networks the equivalent of all-electric, we’re looking at minor improvements.
And even then, an electric car may be far, far better for the environment and be a lot quieter, but it still just gets you from A to B.
