What’s next for social media from someone who’s Extremely Online

Vine's Fall

Taylor Lorenz explores the rise and fall of Vine, a platform that initially thrived but ultimately failed due to its founders' rigid vision. They were resistant to the ways users, especially young content creators, were utilizing the platform, leading to a disconnect. This tension between the platform's intended use and its actual use by creators was a significant factor in its downfall 1.

The founders wanted it to be this artful place for video and stop motion animation, but it was most frequently used by a bunch of 14 and 16 year olds making inappropriate jokes.

--- Taylor Lorenz

Additionally, Vine's ownership by Twitter, which had a fraught relationship with content creators, compounded its challenges 1.

   

Platform Mismanagement

Taylor Lorenz discusses how poor management and strategic missteps can doom social media platforms, using Twitter and Reddit as examples. She believes Twitter is already beyond saving, partly due to its mismanagement under Elon Musk, who is running it as a political project rather than a traditional business 2.

I think journalism needs a clout reset. There are way too many journalists that are reliant on Twitter.

--- Taylor Lorenz

Reddit, on the other hand, underestimated the power of its user base, leading to a public spat. However, Lorenz notes that collective user action is becoming more common, which could force platforms to be more responsive to their communities 3.