Here to Stay, But Bound to Change

The internet has become very ingrained in our every day lives. As many have pointed out in class, our morning routine may consist of checking our social media accounts, maybe visiting some online publishers, and checking our e-mails. Yet, as sophisticated and vital we may think the Web is, we sometimes forget that this life changing invention has only been prevalent for roughly 20 years, getting it's start in 1995 with only 16 million users worldwide.

This is an ever-changing environment in which there has been a revolution of change and adaptation to the needs of the consumer. Therefore, digital publishers as well as social networking sites are here to stay, given they are able to adapt to the changing climate.

Take the evolution of MySpace for example. In the early 2000's it's value proposition to users was to offer a platform where users would socialize and network. Yet, after it's decline in the mid-to-late 2000's due to the surge of Facebook and their popularity it seemed like MySpace would just turn into a memory of a distant land, far far away where we all posted silly pictures of ourselves and made ridiculous comments as angsty 12 year olds.

This was not the case. In fact, MySpace was able to rebrand themselves as a place that provides a value proposition to users of "social entertainment" and is considered one of the top 4 visited networking sites in Cha's article. MySpace was able to take advantage of the long-tail economy and find a niche marker that was in need of a platform, and provide one for them. This niche community has been able to propel MySpace back on the map and has allowed them to create major deals with various production companies in order to create a great user experience for their consumers.

This sort of rebranding is what will keep other giants like Twitter and Facebook around for a long time, if they catch the disinterest of their users early. The online landscape is constantly changing and one of the challenges that digital publishers and social networking sites face is their ability to keep up.

On the other hand, there are publishers that we need to consider. So much of their revenue relies on ad dollars as well as the traffic that social networking sites provides, and as social media sites are attempting to adapt to consumer demands publishers are often left out of the equation. Yet, I think it is important for sites such as Facebook to consider the harm that they are creating, not only for the publishers, but also for the integrated and dynamic user experience that Facebook offers. I personally go on Facebook, yes to keep up with my friends and family, but also to catch up on trending topics and the news. Without the inclusion of publishers and their content I would not be as inclined to be on Facebook as much because I am active on other networking sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter that offer me the same value proposition of keeping up with my social circle.

I don't quite agree with Seth Alpert, of AdMedia Partners, when he says "If i was invested in one of these businesses, I would want to exit in 2016" because I do not believe this is the end (or even close to the end) of digital and social media sites as we know them, but instead a transitional and adaptational period. Using metrics, research, and other sources of data it is important for social networking sites, digital publishers and advertisers to sit down and work together towards a creative solution that allows for a more sustainable digital future.