The evolution of new features on social networks

Ana Mendonça Morais – Marketing & Communication Strategist –

Put very simply, social networks are groups of people who have some kind of relationship with one another. They are structures with no real imposed limits, in the sense that they can appear just as easily as they disappear. As a rule, and unless we are talking about organisations, there is no hierarchical structure. So, to begin with, social networks have existed since the dawn of humankind. From civilisations to groups formed around shared interests or values. From book clubs to political parties. That is why we shouldn't make the mistake of calling “social networks” a modern fad.

Ana Mendonça Morais – Marketing & Communication Strategist –

Put very simply, social networks are groups of people who have some kind of relationship with one another. They are structures with no real imposed limits, in the sense that they can appear just as easily as they disappear. As a rule, and unless we are talking about organisations, there is no hierarchical structure. So, to begin with, social networks have existed since the dawn of humankind. From civilisations to groups formed around shared interests or values. From book clubs to political parties. That is why we shouldn't make the mistake of calling “social networks” a modern fad.

What has changed over the years is the way social networks present themselves and develop.

Any modern fad there might be lies in virtual social networks. But we should never forget that social networks, as we refer to them today, are simply a continuation of the ones that came before.

Virtual social networks

From here on, let's assume that the social networks we're considering are the virtual ones. In other words, online platforms where people relate to each other in various ways and which have their own rules.

Let's start with a simple question: what are social networks for? The answer is equally simple: to connect us with people who interest us in some way. And, as a result, to build communities.

The purpose of a social network is to connect and bring people closer together in some way. And the truth is we have hundreds of virtual social networks at our disposal. For sharing photographs there's Flickr or Olhares, for example. We have Tinder, Grindr and Happn for relationships. When it comes to professional connections, LinkedIn is king. Even WhatsApp, whose main purpose is sharing text and voice messages, can be considered a social network thanks to the groups you can create. Not even Waze is left out, as a collaborative network for sharing real-time traffic information!

The race for the lead

Some networks stand out, not only because they are more appealing to users, but also because they are locked in a permanent and relentless race for the lead.

Yes, now is the moment to talk about the giants of the virtual social networks. After all, you can't talk about social networks without talking about Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and (most recently) TikTok!

Facebook is (as it has been in recent years) the social network with the most registered users. At the end of 2020, Facebook recorded 2.7 billion monthly active users worldwide. And Portugal is no exception to the pattern. Facebook is the most used social network here too, according to Marktest Consulting's study “Os Portugueses e as Redes Sociais 2020”. One of Facebook's big moves to make sure it stayed at the head of the social networks (and stayed relevant) was acquiring Instagram in 2012. Until shortly before then, Instagram was a social network mainly for sharing photographs, but it was growing fast and threatening Facebook's relevance. That acquisition solved the problem, and many of Instagram's interesting features were absorbed by Facebook — but more on that below.

After Facebook, we certainly have to consider YouTube. It's the second social network with the most active users (2 billion) and, over the years, it has also made various efforts to stay relevant and be a match for Facebook.

We also have to mention the TikTok phenomenon. There's already an article on the JellyBlog about the importance of TikTok for brands, along with some relevant data about the network, so the most relevant point to make here is that TikTok now has almost as many users as Instagram. Which brings us to the importance of new features on social networks.

Why new features matter

With so many new apps appearing all the time, staying relevant is a challenge. Just ask Facebook, which has gone to great lengths to roll out features that are a hit on other apps threatening to take it on. Take Instastories — videos of up to 15s that last 24h, or longer if they're saved to a “highlight”. They became such a success that Facebook had to bring them in to try to stay relevant. Did they work as well on Facebook as on Instagram? We can confidently say they didn't.

Another example is Reels on Instagram, brought in to take on the TikTok giant, with short videos featuring dynamic editing and music. Compared with the previous example, they definitely worked better. But are they better than the same feature on TikTok? Not necessarily — after all, users haven't abandoned TikTok for Instagram because of this feature.

Still on Instagram, there's another example: IGTV, a new video format that looks almost like a challenge to YouTube itself. It's a format that allows longer, more polished videos, with a dedicated space on their creators' pages for quick, easy access. The advantage? They far more readily have a native vertical format, which is a plus, given that most users consume content on their phones. And if there's one thing we know about users (that is, ourselves), it's that we want easy, fast, immediate access to content. Without even having to turn the phone to watch it. That said, this feature is missing something very important: it isn't native to the network. In other words, as a rule, users carry on consuming YouTube the way it works in the first place. Search, options, immediate viewing.

The business of social networks

So why do social networks work so hard to stay at the cutting edge of consumption and new features? Quite simply, money.

However much the justification is about building versatile platforms that meet user demand or keep everyone safe, the real driver is profit. The ads generated on these social networks are highly profitable for the networks themselves, and for the brands running them.

In September 2020, looking at the previous 12 months, Facebook is thought to have made profits of around €78 billion. In 2019, across the whole year, profits were a little under €71 billion.

YouTube, meanwhile, is thought to have made profits of almost €13 billion in the first 9 months of 2020 alone — compared with less than €11 million in the same period of 2019.

The truth is that social networks involve a great deal of money. In fact, social networks create an almost interdependent relationship with brands. Brands need the networks to position themselves in the market and to communicate their services and products. The social networks need brands to generate more money. And so it goes on: neither can live without the other, each entirely dependent on the other.

The situation in Portugal

On average, according to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) study “Technology and democracy”, the Portuguese spend 129 minutes a day on social networks.

Across Europe, Portugal is the fifth heaviest user of social networks, at more than 2h a day.

Also across Europe, Facebook is the most dominant social network, with a usage rate of around 75%, leaving little room for the others. This means the Portuguese offer a wide window of opportunity for brands to reach them — wider, at least, than in other countries.

Although Facebook is the most used social network in Portugal, according to Marktest its usage almost halved between 2019 and 2020. The same study indicates that around 70% of users remember seeing advertising on social networks and that ⅓ of them have already shopped online through social networks, which represents a big opportunity for brands. We should bear in mind, however, that the Marktest study was based on a sample of 807 people, which is relatively small, even taking our population into account. Even so, these can be useful indicators of the importance of social networks.

More of the same?

They say copying is the highest form of flattery. But is it really? In the case of social networks, we can conclude that copying only brings redundancy. In their relentless pursuit of relevance and of their own version of a formula that works, the platforms tend to lose their identity. Just because something works on YouTube or TikTok doesn't mean it will work on Instagram. Just because something works on Instagram doesn't mean it will work on Facebook.

This doesn't mean, of course, that social networks can't try to improve and develop. But they should do it through innovation, not imitation. After all, if money is what matters, brands will be increasingly demanding about the platforms they invest in. Because, truth be told, it isn't possible to be present on every social network. You need to work out which ones make sense and will deliver the best return, which ones have the audience you want and can meet the objectives you've set. So each network needs to stand out and justify itself, without mediocre features. JTNDZGl2JTIwY2xhc3MlM0QlMjJmYi1jb21tZW50cyUyMiUyMGRhdGEtaHJlZiUzRCUyMmh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGd3d3LmplbGx5Y29kZS5wdCUyRnRlY25vbG9naWElMkZhLXZvei1uby1jb21hbmRvLWRvLWZ1dHVyby1kYS10ZWNub2xvZ2lhJTJGJTIyJTIwZGF0YS13aWR0aCUzRCUyMjEwMCUyNSUyMiUyMGRhdGEtbnVtcG9zdHMlM0QlMjIxMCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmRpdiUzRQ==