Same Feature, Different Name: Are Social Media Platforms Becoming Repetitive?
Recent news shows that Spotify and Twitter have added similar features to their platforms, making them yet another platform to host the stories feature. So we decided to look into why social media platforms are adding this technology and if this will only make all these apps more repetitive, and ultimately, mundane, instead of unique.
We get it – social media is huge. But with so many different platforms available, why does it seem after each update that they all look the same? The natural investigators that we are, we wanted to uncover the purpose behind this and why we tend to stick to what we are comfortable with.
Instagram’s latest update included major changes in button locations, as they swapped the like button for the shopping feature, playing off of muscle memory right before the holidays as a way to get users to “stumble” upon the feature and hopefully buy more off of the app. And with this recent update, it made Instagram more like Facebook than ever before.
Instagram isn’t the only app making changes to its features. Earlier this year, Twitter added what they call “fleets”, which is basically stories. These fleets only last 24 hours, mimicking Snapchat and its vanishing stories.
But why is it that Twitter and Spotify have added this feature in particular? Is it because people are opting for watching stories instead of scrolling through their feeds, or is it something deeper?
Since stories are more engaging and interactive, it is easier to captivate users, which is why it is used by so many marketers. Another aspect that most definitely is a factor is how personal stories can be – it is very easy to relate to someone or something when you are given an “insiders” look into it.
On Spotify, playlists can have updates and curated messages from artists in the form of stories to engage and interact with users, but not in the way Instagram uses this feature. Spotify’s stories are used as a way to promote artists and redirect users' attention to them, in an attempt to make them more popular.
User experience wise, Twitter and Spotify have kept an incredibly similar outline as to what is used on Instagram stories, making the feature feel familiar and intuitive. This includes the circles at the top of the playlists and the bar on top to make users tap through the stories.
The stories feature is just another way we went from each social media platform having its own unique characteristics to them all now being incredibly similar to one another. So what is next? Stay tuned!
DID YOU KNOW?
You can now write and publish blog posts on Instagram.
Do you scroll through your feed or prefer to watch stories? Let us know in the comments below.