It seems like every social media platform has a story option these days. The sensation began with Snapchat, and then quickly moved on to Whatsapp, Instagram, and now Facebook! With a sudden spike of interest in this feature, we may be seeing the beginning of a transition from news feeds being the main source of communication to stories.
Let’s be honest, Mark Zuckerberg did not invent the news feed.
Before Facebook even existed we absorbed online information by scrolling from the top of the page to the bottom. Zuckerberg simply re-invented the wheel by introducing algorithms to the Facebook News Feed to allow a more personalized feed entailing users only seeing posts by the friends they interacted the most with.
In 2016, Instagram followed, and added algorithms as well. They simply explained users only see about 30% of what is really posted by who they follow, so Instagram made it where users will only see the 30% that users will be most interested in, but the vertical standard of sharing and scrolling through content has began to bore users.
This has created the perfect opportunity for stories to naturally take its place.
The thrill of having content available to other viewers for 24 hours allows users to feel refreshed about social media. It also creates a sense of urgency for people to actively follow you or your brand so they won’t miss out on anything whereas with a newsfeed they will have the opportunity to see the post and act on it whenever they would like. Though the repetition is great for customers to remember your brand, it does not create much urgency.
Overall, stories are still a hot, new item in social media which could take it down two roads. One, where it is just a trend and will not be popular to use after a certain amount of time, or two, checking and replying to stories will become as common as double-tapping a post. At this point, we can only wait and see!
If you would like to discover how The Burnette Agency can help grow your social media presence and brand awareness please e-mail at info@theburnetteagency.com or call 404-850-2081.
