We can’t scroll the LinkedIn feed for 10 seconds without seeing groundbreaking technology and innovation at work. What we do, where we do it, and how it’s done are all being reworked. It’s simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting.
Exploration is hard, especially when discovering new and exciting applications for technology. Truth is, the way we do things now isn’t very similar to the way we did them just 10 years ago … and certainly won’t be the same way they’ll be done in 10 years.
We have to adapt.
Just this week, Meta released a new social platform, Threads to the world. The ‘Twitter killer’ is free to download through Instagram and is billing itself as a space “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow.” It goes on to invite us to “follow, connect or build our own loyal following.” More connection, more shared data, more exchange, more activity - broader platform.
Meta’s Privacy Policy sits atop the Threads Terms of Use. While technically a separate app, Threads requires Instagram so much so, users can’t sign up or sign in without an Instagram account. For good measure, that means a full understanding of Insta’s Terms of Use as well. We have Meta verified, and Instagram Badges that are services within the platform - each having their policies and terms. In total, this easily amounts to 500+ pages of legalese that’s ultimately turned into one simple “accept.”
It’s nuts, really.
This doesn’t take into consideration that on top of monitoring, tracking, hashing, following, and selling user activity from the app - users agree to allow the app to track web activity - including text input such as passwords and credit card details within websites inside the app. Here’s a good explainer if you need a deeper tech dive - note the link to update any additions to the git if you see anything out of line. But we’re not here to talk tech philosophy.
Despite all the lawyerly rumbling, Threads boasts 100M+ downloads in a single week.
It’s a fascinating ecosystem of breadcrumbs, cookies, page views, hashes, embeds, and links. The datasphere of this community platform is a living, breathing organism with nearly unconscionable compute requirements and processing speeds. Every step, click, keystroke, connection, and engagement is tracked, organized, tagged, and stored. Collectively, these individual grains of sand make up the world’s largest beach.
Don’t drop your ring.
This is more about adapting to the reality of how things are than resisting the change. These ‘communities’ in disguise are very similar to IRL towns or municipalities. Platform governance in terms of use, and privacy is agreed upon or you simply can’t gain access. Some local laws and codes keep us in compliance IRL - but those tend to be easier to recognize, relate to, and apply ethically. There’s a chasm of essence in these social platforms - perhaps due to the anonymity of fake user names or the distance from human socio-perception we benefit from in the flesh.
But even beyond that, social platforms rely on econometrics. Something has to pay the bills. Influencers push products and followers follow. It feeds the GDP machine. Threads will undoubtedly benefit from an entirely recreated stream of ad revenue. Predictive purchase analytics are a layup and suggested connections will come with ulterior motives. The more we share, the easier it is to pair cognition with consumer behavior. Most won’t notice - the beat will go on - and people will wonder how it makes money.
Marketers have to look past trends, cycles, and curves. This is linear and instant. Three months ago they announced they were working on a killer app. Today, 100M+ users are clicking, sharing, and growing. 90 days to market. There’s no tech adoption curve here.
It’s time to adapt.
#TotalTenancy™ | #OrionGrowth
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