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Get Ready, Every Social Media Is Becoming TikTok

Facebook was established with the premise of connecting with friends.  Instagram was all about keeping up with the same through pictures.  Apparently, none of that is relevant anymore.  Basically, if…

Facebook,Instagram And WhatsApp Experience Global Outage

In this photo illustration, the Facebook and Instagram apps are seen on the screen of an iPhone on October 04, 2021 in San Anselmo, California. Social media applications Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are experiencing a global outage that started before 9 a.m. (P.S.T.) on Monday morning.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Facebook was established with the premise of connecting with friends.  Instagram was all about keeping up with the same through pictures.  Apparently, none of that is relevant anymore.  Basically, if you're not TikTok, you're just NOT.  Granted, we must remember that Meta (formerly Facebook), that owns/operates Facebook and Instagram, is a company.  And companies are, and must always be about, growth.  TikTok had half a billion users in 2018.  It has well over a billion now.  That's the growth Meta is wanting to be a part of.  So, what does this mean for you?  Well, over the next several months you will see a lot of change.  Where Facebook is concerned, instead of your feed being controlled by your "friends'" posts, it will be subject to an algorithm based on your "interests."  And Instagram?  Well, it will become more and more and more about video.  Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri discussed this and the changes in a video posted yesterday.

Am I the only one who laughed out loud-literally-when he referred to Instagram's "heritage?"  Social media, as a genre, has only been in the social zeitgeist for what, a cup of coffee, and now they're talking heritage?  Anyway, if you're distressed by these changes, you're not alone.  The Kardashian clan (Kim and Kylie Jenner) have weighed in on your behalf posting a meme to their Insta stories that read: “Make Instagram Instagram again. Stop trying to be like TikTok. I just to see cute photos of my friends.” The message ended with, “Sincerely, Everyone.”  There's something ironic and funny about the first family of social media, who have made their fortunes through being on the cutting edge of the medium's evolution(s), being resistant to change.  That being said, if life has taught us nothing else, it's change is inevitable...in all facets.

Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.