The app wars — that is, the arms race among social media apps for our time, attention and personal data — are in full swing. And, entertaining as they may be, the implications for society could be grave.
Both Meta and Twitter, two of the most prominent social media companies in the world, recently announced tidal waves of layoffs in an apparent effort to recalibrate, as each focuses on ways to expand and monetize its platforms.
FYI: In the digital world, this is often done by either charging for a service that was once free or allowing targeted advertisements.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk did the company no favors in attracting advertisers by snidely rebutting a senator’s concerns that users were able to impersonate him on the platform.
One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you’re spending your time picking fights online. Fix your companies. Or Congress will. https://t.co/lE178gPRoM
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) November 13, 2022
Meanwhile, advertisers are flocking to TikTok, which continues to soar financially despite concerns over privacy issues and the spread of disinformation on the platform.
And the utter horribleness of Twitter and the Meta-owned Facebook has been enough for some to turn to social media apps like Mastodon. Speaking personally, I’m more of a Somewhere Good guy.








