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With the popularity of sites like Instagram and Snapchat, many people assume that Twitter is on its final leg; it’s allegedly “dying” of the same disease that killed Myspace and Friendster: disinterest. However, while more novel sites certainly have the attention of certain demographics, Twitter isn’t obsolete. In fact, there are several elements that attest to Twitter’s longevity. So, if you’re thinking of logging off, think again. Tweeting isn’t over yet, and here are a few reasons why:
It’s always had inactive users: Many of the folks declaring Twitter “over” point to its inactive users: in short, there are a lot. But this has always been the case. According to CBS News, a study conducted back in 2014 found that 44 percent of people who signed up had never sent any tweets. Yet, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re uninvolved: they might read tweets even if they don’t write them.
It’s unique: According to Social Media Examiner, the uniqueness of Twitter’s microblogging platform is one of the things that makes it appealing. There are other microblogging sites – Tumblr and Plurk – but they’re not as popular (though the former is better known than others). Twitter also shares many of the features of other social media sites: it allows users to post statuses, pictures, updates, and video.
It reaches the unreachable: Twitter is a great way for customers to reach companies whenever they have a question or an issue. This, in turn, allows companies to engage with their consumers and offer quick answers and solutions.
It’s linked to politics: Long before Donald Trump became commander in chief (and commander in tweet), Twitter was used to pose debate questions, convey political opinions, and argue for or against causes. Per Social Media Today, Twitter is seen as the “voice of the people,” something that helps cement its usefulness.
It’s newsworthy: Users turn to social media to discuss all sorts of things happening in the world, including breaking news – sometimes, people learn of tragedy more from friends and followers than they do from CNN. But Twitter bests other sites when it comes to real-time reporting. Because of the microblogging mentioned above, firsthand accounts and rapid-fire info are more easily transmitted via Twitter than other social sites.
It’s good for businesses: From large corporations to small businesses, companies still tweet to market themselves. Take Esurance, for example, a company that has repeatedly used clever marketing and free giveaways to dominate Super Bowl advertising. According to Forbes, its 2016 campaign saw over 800,000 mentions during the game, good enough to be the most popular ad-based campaign on Twitter. Doritos was second with just over 200,000 mentions.
While some people are ready to stick a fork in Twitter and call it done, it has a lot of life left. This isn’t to say it’ll last forever, but it’s not going away anytime soon. As long as it has loyal followers, businesses can continue to pack a lot of productivity into 140 characters.