The Social Media Wars

In an attempt to gather more exposure for the new blog and accompanying YouTube channel, I decided to give some attention to newer platforms. For the last few years, Instagram has become my go-to social media platform to primarily grow my audience. FaceBook has remained a great spot for me to connect mostly with friends and acquaintances. I also enjoy being a part of particular groups that are supportive and applicable to my life. Twitter, once a key component of my social media marketing, became one of the least effective means of making connections. My Tweets were no longer getting any traction. So, with my account now private, I have contemplated the option of deactivating the account all together. 

In comes Threads...Instagram's answer to those frustrated with or walking away from Twitter, for whatever reason, yet who prefer a word-based expression. Unless you live under a rock, you probably already know that Threads set an unprecedented download record upon its inception. Threads easily integrated to a user's Instagram account for simple set-up, so many Instagram users didn't see the harm in creating an account, myself included. I am not sold on the new app as of yet, but am logging on daily to see if it grows on me. 

Two important things to keep in mind when using Threads: from my understanding, you do not use hashtags when posting. Hashtags have become a staple in social media for over a decade, to what efficiency, I do not know. So how Threads routes users to the content they are most interested in is unknown. My feed, so far, is filled with celebrities and causes that I am not even following. The second thing to know is that according to Threads, once you create an account, you cannot delete it without also deleting your Instagram account. You may deactivate it, but not delete it. 

Finally, I saw some Twitter users also jumping ship for a new app called Tribel. I had high hopes for this one since posts did not rely on hashtags but categories. Although it seems like an innovative way to connect users to meaningful content, it actually reminded me very much of Google+ - another social media platform that failed. The company also promoted itself as a more friendly and less toxic environment than Twitter. However, after only a couple of weeks, I am already thinking of jumping ship from this app. If your goal is to grow your audience and build meaningful connections, Tribel falls short. 

I will continue to explore these newer apps and keep you posted on my discoveries, but for now I can confidently say you are not missing anything if you're not on Twitter, Threads, or Tribel. 

I would love to hear from you. Which social media platforms do you prefer? What is your reason for being on social media?