Are Web-Based Social Media Platforms like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter Becoming Obsolete?

Yes, I agree that the world has shifted to smartphones completely. Most users today access Facebook primarily through mobile phones.

Who Said That?

As of the second quarter of 2020, Facebook had a combined 256 million monthly active users in the United States and Canada.

Facebook: Monthly Active Users

Facebook: Annual Revenue

Facebook and Twitter: Evergreen Platforms

From the above statistical data by Statista, we can see that both Facebook and Twitter are in their upward stage and far from obsolescence. Facebook’s revenue is firm and shows an upward trend, while Twitter’s revenue in 2019 is 5 times as much as that in 2013, and its number of monthly users has been relatively stable for the past decade. These platforms have not shown any signs of becoming obsolete.

Facebook: Evergreen through Innovation

Facebook continues to lead with its ever-evolving features to satisfy personal and business users. Here are some examples of recent updates:

New ad limits: Determining how many ads can actively run at a single time. Preparation for partners for iOS 14. Facebook Business Suite: LAUNCH! Improved data use checkup. Auto inventory ads: Enhanced functionality. Increased safety for in-stream options.

This list covers only a fraction of Facebook's features, which include the news feed, friends wall, timeline, likes, comments, Facebook Gaming, Facebook mentions, and Facebook Live Streaming.

Twitter: Adapting to the Social Media Landscape

Twitter has consistently adapted to the changing social media landscape and user demands:

Removed SMS accounts due to privacy concerns. Retweets with comments: Boosting engagement. Improved camera features: Adding up to four images via the native camera. Three different privacy settings for replies: 'Everyone', 'Only people you follow', and 'Only people you mention'. Ability to draft and schedule tweets on the desktop. Request to read before retweeting. Feature to tweet your voice with video clips: Allowing 140-second voice recordings.

Myspace: Near-Sighted and Obsolete?

In contrast to Facebook and Twitter, Myspace was near-sighted and focused on immediate benefits, often neglecting long-term development. They failed to invest in testing and suffered from buggy features. Today, Myspace still has around 8 million monthly active users but it peaked in 2005 to 2009 with 100 million users and a valuation of $12 billion.

Conclusion

Only social media platforms that think for people, work for people, and develop for people can survive better. If Facebook and Twitter stopped progressing and focused only on making more money, they would eventually become obsolete. On the other hand, if Myspace could find a way to better serve its users and find a unique business model, it might revive. Ultimately, constant progress is key to staying ahead.

References

7 Top Social Media Sites in 2020 - Adobe Spark Facebook: Number of Users Worldwide - Statista Facebook: Annual Revenue - Statista Myspace - Wikipedia List of Facebook Features - Wikipedia The 2020 Twitter Updates You Need to Know About