Is Twitter Still Relevant?
As its stock flutters dramatically downwards, and bickering musicians use the platform as a space to air their grievances, there is some question as to how artists' relationship with Twitter – and indeed Twitter itself – will evolve moving forward.
There is so much speculation about Twitter right now. Their stock is down 35% this year and it’s clear that there are tough times ahead for the company. Sure its ad-infrastructure isn’t as robust as Facebook and its platform isn’t as sexy as Instagram, or as novel as Snapchat, but I believe that Twitter is still a very viable and relevant platform.For me Twitter is my RSS feed and the best place to get up to the minute news in a digestible format. In this day and age it’s all about creating community and there is no better place to do this then on Twitter. However, I do think Twitter needs some serious help. I’m a big fan of Jack Dorsey but I think he needs to build a team of all-stars that understand how Twitter can evolve.
Twitter Music has been a big mess even though artists have huge influence on the platform. Just look at the recent Kanye/Wiz battle or the Meek/Drake firestorm. It’s clear that Twitter is still the place to be if you want your shot to be heard and and felt. But is Lyor’s team at 300 really harnessing Twitter data for A&R? Doubtful. And there isn't as much action on Periscope or Vine these days. I'm seeing more players competing with these platforms.
The bigger question is what is Twitter doing to harness its power within the culture? My friends who were running the music program aren’t there anymore and Leslie Miley, Twitter’s only black lead engineer quit late last year citing lack of diversity issues amongst others. And this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of internal problems with Twitter. Just last week four more marketing executives quit.
Twitter is my strongest medium, although currently it’s the least fun. There is a big opportunity for Twitter to rebuild and embrace the culture they create. I know the platform still has relevance and growth potential. Let’s hope they make the right moves and build an even stronger brand in 2016.
What do you think? Reply to this email and let me know what you think is next for Twitter. / @JesseKay
Good article. I like Twitter, I feel like it connects me to others I would never otherwise interact with. I feel a little ambivalent about it though, with the proposed changes in how it presents information to me. I don’t want someone else to curate my feed–I’d rather decide for myself, thanks. But I like the ongoing social conversation about all things important and trivial. I’m a teacher in Maine, winter population one million or so. How else but through Twitter could I get involved in large scale conversations with people from all over the world? It’s eye opening and educational. And I love information–I’m an information addict–so I love Twitter for that. And the “breaking” end of it as well satisfies the former journalist in me as well.
It makes me sad to hear about the internal struggles. Let’s hope it’s just growing pains. Twitter is too valuable a resource to lose–or to become marginalized.
Thank you!