The irony couldn’t be starker. The reason for Facebook’s inception growth and dominance
has itself become an albatross. Too much of social connect, with people you
hardly know, is now recoiling. Many of the very young in Goa are stepping back
and toning down their all too public interface while remaining on social media
Aideen Nunes a young student and frequent Instagram user,
admits, “I shifted from Facebook to Instagram because on Facebook I had people
sending me friend requests who I knew but never really spoke to. In reality and
as Facebook friends they remained there still without any conversation, so I
asked myself -would I want to see pictures of people who aren’t my friends? Why
should I have to see posts of people who in reality I don’t know that well?
Whereas on Instagram I can follow whoever I want to follow and not feel
obligated to be friends with random people .Even though I didn’t have to be
friends with people on Facebook I however felt obligated to…”
Facebook and Twitter have always known to be the fast pacing
social networking sites. But, in the recent years, Instagram has been
attracting more users day by day with its easy access and picture descriptions.
After all Facebook and Instagram both are owned by the same company, yet they
use different kind of algorithm to attract users.
Online forums say this about Instagram
‘It’s all about pictures, no nonsense’
Another person explains, “Ideal place for selfie addicts,
because apparently living in the moment is not as important as spending all
your energy in getting the best selfie.”
‘Paradise for photographers and models, can showcase their
skills/ talents’
‘Best way for PDA (public display of affection) for couples,
which is not that easy on Facebook ,as a random aunty would spot you in a
picture with your bf/gf and it spreads like wildfire- reaches your parents- all
hell break loose!’
However, as time passed, Instagram has become the new trendy app
that most people enjoy using. While twitter has it’s pros of being an
informative or a news platform, Facebook has become a business and marketing
platform (along with WhatsApp specially with its WhatsApp for Business) in the
current recent statistics. Instagram was mobile first – it started with only
Square images which were a better viewing experience than Twitter. Twitter
wasn’t evolving & upgrading itself as fast as Instagram. However, twitter
still continues to rule in the news space than Instagram. If you’re in the news
and media space, in public relations or in any sphere where communication is
the key, then Twitter is your go-to ‘weapon’. Only time will tell us who wins
this race of grabbing consumer’s attention on the internet.
Kurt Bento CEO of Creomatrix addresses, “Instagram lets you say
a lot with just one image; you can have massive reach as it’s an open platform
where you can get really good engagement with the right hash tags and an
amazing picture. If you want to become an ‘influencer’, who many aspire to be,
this is a great platform.”
Talking in terms of Business, Viresh Vazirani, founder of GrowthGravy
explains that Instagram is actively used by businesses & when compared to
Facebook there are many industries which prefer to spend more budgets on
Instagram than Facebook.
Instagram has been given the term ‘cool’ by youngsters, not only
because of its pictorial depiction, but the engagement among users it promotes.
According to Dattaprasad Shetkar, brand consultant, “Facebook and Whatsapp are
still the biggest globally, but QQ, We chat, Instagram are also actively used.
I would say among young people it is Instagram that’s popular.”
Facebook is still the King of social
media… According to Kick Ass
Digital Marketing head, Anurag Gupta, Facebook still stands with 2.2 billion
active users on daily basis compared to that of Instagram. “As a constant social
media user, if we try to get more value than we create, we are bound to fail in
social media”, says Gupta. Like other social media platforms, Facebook should
be used to build community around business / services. Content should be on
creating value for community, benefit to community without strings attached. In
a nutshell, Facebook attracts Traffic users, and Instagram engages users
instantly, says Gupta
Kurt Bento identifies all the other major social media platforms
as important tools in their own way. “I think through different sections of
society, when it comes to millennial or even those before; it’ll be a tight
contest between Facebook and Instagram with either one edging the other out.
Both platforms have their advantages to be honest, although for very few,
Twitter is a strong contender.”
Facebook however, has become a great business promotion
platform, “You can really optimize your sales channels through Facebook.
Facebook is great for building communities & groups. I have seen some big
community movements shape up due to Facebook groups. Facebook watch is still
trying hard to take on YouTube,” says Viresh. Normally, Twitter works if a user
has followers and they re-tweet and reply. Twitter was recently overtaken by
Instagram. “Maybe the Facebook link and marketing helped Instagram become
popular. Facebook literally forced users to move to Instagram!” exclaims
Dattaprasad.
Inside the Insta Basket
Most of the daily users of the Instagram site are teens and
youngsters. The youth find Instagram more secure and entertaining with creative
and artistic accounts to follow
Dattaprasad understands that not everybody can write, but almost
everyone has a good camera phone and click picture. “It’s easy, also in a
selfie obsessed generation Instagram does appeal more,” he says.
Kurt Bento adds, “I use Instagram significantly more than
Facebook, but that’s because I don’t care much for cutting into discussions
that turn into mud-slinging matches, which is what many do now. My alternative
to that is swiping through Tinder or watching something on Netflix”.
At the end of the day, whichever app or site satisfies a
consumer the most with its alluring features is the one that will be the best
of them all. It is not the owners of the site who decide which online platform
is the best, but it is based on us and our preferences that the app or site
becomes the best.
