Could Meta’s Instagram-Branded Twitter Clone Be The One That Catches On?

With Meta working on a text-based social media site, it seems clear that the company would be the most likely competitor to succeed at cloning Twitter. Following Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter last year and overhaul of the social media site, many have tried to create a new clone of the text-based staple. Mastodon gained media attention as a decentralized alternative composed of a bunch of different instances, but it lacked the large user base of Twitter. While some power users switched, many Twitter users stuck it out with Musk at the helm. As of November 2022, the company claimed signups were at an all-time high despite the chaos.

As a slew of other companies attempt to successfully clone Twitter, Meta is taking its shot. “We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates,” the company told Platformer. “We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.” The confirmation came in March 2023, shortly after Meta rolled out a text-based feature to Instagram. The feature, named Instagram Notes, lets users share 60-character status updates that remain visible for up to a day. It signified Meta noticing the importance of text, even on a historically visual-based social media site.

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A Text-Based Social App By Meta Would Be Good (& Bad)

Meta has a significant advantage over other decentralized social media sites, and it stretches far beyond employee headcounts and annual revenue. The company has users, which are key to the success of a social media site. More than 77 percent of internet users, equating 3.59 billion people, use at least one Meta platform, according to a report by Investing.com. The breadth of Meta’s user base is impossible to understate, and it’s that user base that could get a text-based social network off the ground.

Meta told Platformer that if the new social media site ever went public, people would be able to log in with their existing Facebook and Instagram account. The company could even link a new platform with Facebook and Instagram, just like the latter two are already. That would almost instantly make a text-based social media app from Meta one of the biggest in the world.

But is that a good thing? Competition pushes the industry forward, and Meta adding another element of social media to its already-dominant portfolio could stifle it in the future. The company currently knows more about its users than they do through detailed tracking, and has a history of selling their data to the highest bidder. With that kept in mind, it doesn’t need another data point from users. Though a decentralized social network from Meta would likely find success, it might not be the best idea.

More: Why Meta Bringing Messenger Back Into The Facebook App Is A Good Thing

Source: Platformer, Investing.com