Another day, another fancy feature on social media.
Twitter Spaces. Instagram Reels. LinkedIn Stories. More often than not, new social media features are born from replicating core functionalities of competing apps, resulting in a slugfest between major tech companies over who can do it better. *Yawn*
Take the Clubhouse versus Twitter Spaces battle, for example. Clubhouse gained popularity and traction in Q4 2020, a natural byproduct of people wanting to socialize with others amid the pandemic. Twitter’s product, “Twitter Spaces,” is currently in beta-testing mode, battling Clubhouse for iOS supremacy (neither app is available on Android). Which one will win in the end? Which app will house open conversation with the most digital marketing hustlers? Likely the first app that allows users to monetize their influence and traffic. But I digress…what were we talking about again? Oh, right, Twitter’s new feature.
Enter “Super Follow.”
While there have been rumblings of Twitter launching a paid subscription product for months, it seems like there is a glimpse into the future with the microblogging platform partially revealing the Super Follow feature during an analyst event today. The subscription services’ gist is giving users exclusive access to content and communities for a paltry $4.99/month. Although the notion of paying a premium to access supplementary content does seem egregious at first take, especially considering Twitter prides itself as an open network for communication, this update comes at a time where the subscriber economy is exploding.
The way users digest media has changed significantly over the past decade.
- Media is consumed on-demand in the form of subscriptions to Netflix, Disney+, and Prime.
- Sports fanatics can stream games on a myriad of devices via DAZN and NHL Live.
- Millions of songs are a search away via Spotify and Apple Music.
- Users can subscribe to digital publications to stay updated on world events.
- Twitch has helped convert gamers into millionaires and legitimate brands overnight in the gaming and live streaming community.
However, when it comes to content creators, it seems like there are tremendous growth opportunities on a wide array of platforms, ranging from services like Patreon and OnlyFans to exclusive newsletter services such as Substack. The more tech-savvy digital users become, the more they want to consume content that appeals to them rather than aimlessly scrolling through the broad trove of random lifestyle shots that permeate popular social media networks. This is why Reddit has entrenched itself in the digital community and has been immensely successful. Users crave the ability to digest content at their own pace, curate their feeds based on what they want to see, and engage in thoughtful discussions with others.
Twitter investing in a community-first product is the right approach for a company looking to boost its digital profile and drive growth. While Fleets seemed like an unoriginal approach to broaden its appeal to users that digest ephemeral content, Super Follow appeals to users that want to digest community-driven content in well-known spaces. Additionally, by investing in building out Twitter Spaces as a viable product, one has to surmise that these recent developments have Twitter shifting its focus from being an open-communication social media platform to a decentralized space for communities to gather. Rather than resting on its laurels like Facebook or riding an impermanent wave like TikTok, Twitter is banking on micro-communities as the future of social media. Introducing a monetization strategy to power-users will only increase engagement and propel the platform’s growth. Twitter is also jumping to the forefront compared to its main competitors by enabling influencers and content creators to monetize their following in a new format.
Will Super Follow be successful in driving revenue growth for the lagging social media platform? Time will tell, but yours truly is unequivocally excited at the prospect of Twitter investing in communities in the future.