Twitter May Be On Its Way To #Winning
It seems like when one social media outlet adds a new feature, the competition immediately makes a move to “one-up” it with a fresh update of their own. That trend has only accelerated since Google Plus joined the social media scene. With the social media arms race in full swing, there is stlll one major outlet that hasn’t joined in: Twitter.
It might seem counterintuitive, but in many ways Twitter can gain an advantage by taking a backseat in the update free-for-all. Here’s why: People tend to like things that they are familiar with. We use social media because it is usually the fastest, simplest way to connect to friends, family, acquaintances and whoever else we want to reach. Most of us don’t want to spend hours reviewing updates and mastering new applications. We just want to connect. I personally know dozens of people that are getting fed up with the updates Facebook has been adding. I know even more people who flat out refuse to sign up for Google Plus because it’s just too new and they are not comfortable with it and its features.
Twitter, on the other hand, remains as simple as ever. Even people who aren’t on Twitter know the platform: 140 character messages. Sure, you need to find followers and people to follow, and learn re-tweet, post pictures and tiny URL links, but that’s about as confusing as it gets. Twitter has never got sucked into the “new feature” fight.
People will argue that Twitter will never live up to Facebook and Google Plus, but they are overlooking the fact that maybe it doesn’t want to. It’s unlikely that any new feature could top the success Twitter has already achieved. The term “Tweet” is used worldwide and the little blue bird that symbolizes Twitter is nearly as ubiquitous. Users can reach a larger audience in less time than any other medium.
Perhaps Twitter’s goal is to grow by staying consistent and easy to use—you can’t argue with the results they’ve had so far. Perhaps the bigger companies out there will catch on. One enormous one just did.
The new Apple iPhone iOS 5 update had some amazing additions. One simple addition was the integration with Twitter. You can now Tweet almost anything from any part of your iPhone. For example, if you snap a photo you want to share, you can Tweet it instantly—without having to go back into the Twitter Application. If you find an interesting website, you can Tweet the URL to your followers without ever leaving the site. The parallel line here is that iPhones specialize in being an amazing product, and extremely simple to use. Twitter integration has been added to more than 4 million new phones in a week (plus the number of current iPhone users who updated their iPhone operating system). Think of how many people new to Twitter will now be hooked on it.
While Facebook and Google Plus duel it out for top-dog in social media, constantly trying top one another with each new update, Twitter is quietly staying with what has always worked: simplicity. With Apple and millions of iPhone users now on board, more and more people and companies are bound to take notice.
