Social Media: Make or Break

By Bri Sandoval

There are a whopping 4.9 billion social media users around the globe, which is a staggering 60% of the total global population (Shewale, 2023).

It’s pretty safe to say that just about everyone and their mother is on the social media train. 

There is a lot we can learn from this number. But the main thing is humanity’s deep need for interconnectedness. After the introduction of the internet and the broad expanse of social media platforms, society became accustomed to, and possibly even addicted to, a constant sense of connection. We crave it, rely on it, and feel lost when we don’t have it.

Social media is deeply ingrained in our society and our cultures. Throughout the years there have been many sites that have popped up and made their mark. Today, there are 28 sites that have made Kelly Lyons’ “Top Social Media Platforms Worldwide”.

It all started with SixDegrees in 1997 and currently the leading platform is Facebook which started in 2004. 

But what does a social media platform need to thrive? What are the features that take a site from a few hundred users to a few million within the first year? 

Orkut is a perfect example of this. 

Orkut is a social media site that began in 2004 as an offshoot of Google. According to Mahoney and Tang (2014), the platform was largely popular in Brazil and allowed users to find communities through keyword searches of titles and descriptions. The platform took the hearts of many technology workers and students and became a sort of connection to the technology realm. The site was based on an invite-only membership list, which earned it somewhat of a “higher status”. The interface was clean and easy to use. But the community connection and ease of use wasn’t the only thing that made Orkut spring to 1,500,000 communities in just the first year. Orkut used culture to their advantage. 

Orkut allowed for advertising and marketing on the platform, which is something Brazil holds in high regard considering outdoor advertising is banned in the nation. Most Brazilians prefer online shopping, making the online market hot in Brazil and success even hotter for online retailers. Brazilian consumers prefer using social networking sites to research products, which made Orkut the perfect place for this culture to utilize. After 7 years of success, the social media platform had reached a staggering 30 million users (Mahoney & Tang, 2014). 

Orkut began its decline when it could no longer meet the needs of the culture it was embedded in. Functionality problems made it difficult to keep up with the affinity for online video marketing, which was becoming the most responsive method for Brazilian consumers. Their inability to adjust ended their long reign, but we can still remember Orkut for their quick success and initial attention to their targeted culture. 

Tailoring your brand to the culture you’re targeting is crucial. And as we all know, culture is ever changing and shifting. It’s just as important to continue evaluating and monitoring the culture to make adjustments as needed as it is to ensure continued easy access and ease of use. This could make the difference between sites like Facebook that have persevered for decades and sites like Vine, which was unable to adapt and compete with rival platforms. 

There is really no telling which sites will stay and which will go, but with continuous consumer feedback, we may be able to make our favorite platforms last a little longer. 

Give the people what they want!

And while I’m currently content with my social media sites and hope they don’t become obsolete anytime soon, it is exciting to consider the possibilities for future social networking sites or upgrades of the current sites we are utilizing now. Who knows? One day we may be telepathically chatting with our friends through Messenger, or viewing an Instagram perfume ad that we can physically smell through the computer screen. The possibilities seem endless! And as the consumers, we have a large say in what comes and what goes. 

So now I’m just curious! What is your favorite social networking platform? What sites do you think need a bit of a face lift or culture shock?

For now, you can catch me on these platforms:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

Have a wonderful week!

XOXO

Bri Sandoval