It’s a crazy world and it’s just getting crazier by the second. In a world that is driven by innovation, organisations are increasingly asking their employees to think-out-of-the-box to aim for something that has never been done before. They are continuously trying to create something that no one has ever dreamt of before. This desire to create something ‘legendary’ has rightly forced us to step out of our comfort zones and create that we never thought we needed! But this is a good think as this is how we reach to the next level.
Past decade has witnessed some pretty amazing technologies lighting up the cyber-space. From quirky Snapchat to the trendsetter Instagram to the ‘god of all things’ Facebook, all of these started with a novel concept of creating something different and they have come quite far. But somewhere down the line, these social media platforms got caught up in the rat race and started introducing similar (read: same) features.
Snapchat started off its journey in 2011 as a photo-sharing app that allowed users to share images that vanished in 24-hours. As it gained popularity, it introduced ‘Snapchat Stories‘, a feature that gave users the liberty to share a story via images that disappeared in 24-hours. Instagram, on the other hand, was introduced with a sense of permanence and gave users the creative space to edit and share images. However, as Instagram joined the Facebook family, its focus shifted from creating a unique product to taking over its competition and so it introduced ‘Instagram Stories’, a concept that drew ‘inspiration’ from Snapchat.
But that’s not the only instance of cloning that we’ve heard in the recent time. It so happens that Facebook is now copying its own family member by introducing ‘Facebook Stories’ (yes, you heard it right!), a feature that seems to have found its roots in every photo-sharing app. Apparently, it has even silently tested this feature in the far-flung lands of Ireland and the word is that the company soon plans on unleashing the Kraken (ehmm…Stories feature).
But that’s not it. After copying ‘Live‘ feature from Facebook word is that Instagram is now planning to introduce ‘albums’ feature on its app that would allow its users to create photo albums, just like on Facebook.
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As these social media platforms are increasingly taking ‘inspiration’ each other (and even other apps in their umbrella), one question that hovers like a dark cloud is that if all the social media platforms have the same features, why do we need so many? Why can’t we have just one app with all these features and get done with the drama already? Talking realistically, having one app with all the features is better than having three apps with same features (granted that Instagram and Facebook don’t have cute filters like Snapchat). Not only would it spare us the pain of sharing a single pic on three different apps but also save a lot of mobile data and phone memory.
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The fact that three of the most popular social media platforms have given up on innovation is not just sad but also utterly ridiculous. It’s good to innovate and introduce new and interesting features. What’s not acceptable is copying. If innovation is the key to a brighter tomorrow, then we are surely heading towards a period of total stagnation. It’s time that you guys (read: Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat) get back to your basics and focus on the niche that you had carved out for yourselves. Let’s focus on being ‘one of a kind’ than being ‘better than others’!
