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Meta reportedly wants to be the new Twitter

Meta has the tools, people, and data to make it happen.

meta and facebook logo on grey background
Image: Unsplash

Meta has reportedly been brainstorming ways to fill the Twitter-sized hole in our hearts.

Kelly Huang at The New York Times got the scoop last Wednesday that Meta employees have been discussing building a Twitter replacement.

With Twitter under new management and many people reconsidering their time on the platform, it seems like the perfect time for Meta to step in. It makes sense. The company is known for “repurposing” other platforms’ ideas.

“Twitter is in crisis and Meta needs its mojo back… …LET’S GO FOR THEIR BREAD AND BUTTER,” states one Meta employee on an internal posting system.

Multiple ideas were floated, from standalone apps to adding feeds to existing ones:

Those ideas included rolling out Instagram’s new “Notes” feature to add a text feed to Instagram. The company is also reportedly considering using Instagram’s tech to create a text-first app like Twitter.

Notice how none of the ideas include touching Facebook?

That’s odd, but so is trying to cram text feeds into Instagram. Instagram has long been photo-first, with a recent push into video.

What would be a better idea would be borrowing Facebook’s Friend Graph and building a new app around that. It’s no secret that many Facebook users would delete their accounts if it weren’t for their friends and family.

facebook feeds update for friends and groups
Image: KnowTechie

That’s the draw of Facebook, the thing that made it successful to begin with. The ability to have an instant community when you join.

Imagine that instant feeling of belonging and connection when you open a new account on a new, text-first social site. Powerful stuff.

That’s the killer app. None of the pretenders to Twitter’s throne will succeed because it’s hard to build a following.

Meta could succeed because it already has the ultimate connection algorithm. It knows you, your neighbors, your friends, your family, and (almost) everything they do.

There’s no need to shoehorn it into yet another feed on Instagram. Save that space.

Meta, you’ve got a wealth of talented engineers that deserve the chance to make a new app. Don’t squander the opportunity.

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