TAKE FIVE: SOCIAL MEDIA IS DEAD
SOCIAL MEDIA IS DEAD
By Alessandro Di Benedetto
The rise of TikTok over the past two years has accentuated an interesting phenomenon: users are more interested in discovering new content than in belonging to a pure and hard social network.
According to Futura, “in the field of technologies, a social network consists of a service that brings together various people in order to create an exchange on a particular subject or not”. The principal notions of a social network can be found in the words "group" and "exchange", which makes sense. Which leads me to a question. Do you have the impression of creating a real exchange with Khaby Lame when you watch one of his viral videos that garners more than 180 million views?
The same desire for new content can be found on other social networks as well. With the launch of Reels, Instagram implemented a concept literally identical to TikTok, and is encouraging its use via the algorithm, through increased views and engagement. One of the app’s most promoted features is Explore, where it’s easy to find content adapted to consumption and preferences. For Facebook, although Reels is also important, Facebook Watch takes precedence and offers content related to previously viewed videos. And let's face it, Facebook's news feed is made up of more suggestions and sponsored posts than pictures of your aunt Karen's cats. The paradox of Facebook is that today the most social aspect of the platform is its Marketplace.
The BeReal platform allows users to post one photo per day to show their followers what they are doing in real time. Its approach is anchored in a potential desire to return to the true definition of a social network. BeReal emphasizes authenticity and invites users to show themselves in a spontaneous, non-staged way, which was probably what Facebook and Instagram encouraged at the start of their spectacular journey.
Although the success of BeReal is discreet for the moment, it highlights a very important point – we are no longer in a world of social networks, but rather of discovery platforms!
What do you think ? Tell us in the comments