Facebook vs. Twitter - Essay Example

?Seeking to understand the way in which the two most dominant social networking sites differentiate from one another and share a unique level of similarity is not only useful with regards to understanding how such sites came to be so successful and prominent, it also helps to explain why both of them are “needed” by the consumer and how the service that they offer is different enough to encourage individuals within the society to integrate with both of them concurrently. As a matter of understanding these similarities and differentials, the following analysis will perform something of an in depth discussion with regards to how such a level of comparison can be made between these two sites. Rather than resorting to a pro and con listing of how one of these sites is necessarily better than the other, the following analysis will engage the reader with a realization for the way in which both Facebook and Twitter differentiate from one another and the means through which the user experience is affected accordingly. The first level of similarity that exists is with regards to the way in which both of these social networking sites allow the users to come in closer contact with hundreds or even thousands of other users. However, the level of intimacy that Facebook allows, as compared to Twitter, is greatly enhanced. For instance, Twitter only allows status updates fewer than 140 characters. By means of comparison, Facebook messages and post can exceed that limit by several hundred times and allow for a great more nuanced expression as compared to Twitter. Yet even though this particular dissimilarity exists, perhaps the most compelling similarity that exists between Twitter and Facebook is with regards to the mass popularity to both of these sites engender. Recently, it was reported within the news that Facebook had passed the 1 billion mark of total members (Romeo, 2011). Although somewhat less popular, Twitter also boast an astounding number of members with over 500 million. Piggybacking onto this mass popularity is the fact that both Twitter and Facebook utilize this popularity as a means of building connections and linkages between individuals and businesses. Although Facebook and Twitter existed for a long period of time prior to marketers and advertisers integrating with their products and utilizing their service as a means of promoting themselves to potential clients, it is difficult to view a single advertisement on television without the encouragement of the advertiser to follow the given product or service on Facebook and Twitter. Another marked level of similarity that exists between these two social networking sites is with regards to the fact that both of them have come to rely heavily upon multimedia as a means of integrating with their client base. Whereas other sites were relatively slow to include multimedia and functions allowing individual users to upload, save, and post various forms of pictures, music, or data of another variety, Facebook and Twitter long ago realized that the user experience of social networking was one that can ultimately be maximized by allowing the user to engage with their own forms of multimedia; while at the same time sharing it with their close friends. As such, it comes as little surprise that Facebook and Twitter began to buy up the many different services that allowed for data sharing and multimedia uploads. The acquisition of Instagram for nearly $1 billion is evidence of the way in which this dramatic rush for such platforms exists between the two services. Whereas it may seem that the users of Facebook or Twitter are infinitely diverse and hail from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, research into the demographics of Twitter and Facebook users had noted the fact that well over half of these individuals have some form of college education and make between $25,000 $49,000 a year (Matt, 2011). In such a way, even though a broad level of stereotyping cannot be concluded to exist with regards to the typical Facebook or Twitter user, a level of analysis concerning the fact that the middle class within the United States, and elsewhere throughout the world for that matter, specifically engage with the service can be had. With regards to the actual user experience between these two sides, the reader can and should note the fact that Twitter is sleek and relatively a clean user experience whereas Facebook is overwhelming; oftentimes cluttered and having so many options and pulldown menus that an individual user might become flustered and confused. It is the further belief of this particular author that the relative ease of use for Twitter as compared to Facebook is one of the primary motivations for why Twitter continues to grow at a rate faster than Facebook. Although it is not fair to assume that Facebook will ultimately lose market share and falter as a result of the simplicity and ease of use of Twitter, this is a salient concern that must nonetheless be represented. Another coherent differential that exists between the two is the fact that Twitter is oftentimes referenced as proactive whereas Facebook is referenced as reactive. In effect, people log in to Facebook as a means of understanding what is going on. However, by the same token, Twitter serves oftentimes as a primary source and motivates movement and discussion within a litany of key areas (Tagtmeier, 2010). Once again, this differential between the two is likely not something that will see Facebook or Twitter dominate the market and close out other competition; rather, it merely helps to provide a key differential through which the individual user experience is somewhat nuanced. From the information that is thus far been invited, it can definitively be noted that both Facebook and Twitter espouse a unique level of similarity and difference is. These differences are predicated upon the user experience of the ultimate intent for which an individual has with regards to their social media outlet. Oftentimes, Twitter and Facebook are used simultaneously and the end result is an individual that gains a certain level of utility from both of these services, their similarities, and their unique differences. References Matt, K., & USA, T. (n.d). Twitter and all things tech. USA Today. Romeo, P. (2011). Facebook social media 50. (cover story). Restaurant Business, 110(4), 23-36. Tagtmeier, C. (2010). Facebook vs. Twitter: battle of the social network stars. Computers In Libraries, 30(7), 6-10. Read More