Meta’s launch of Threads is another reminder of everything wrong with social media.

Why does the world need yet another clone of Twitter?

When did each platform move from originality to simply ripping off rival features?

Stories, scrollable short-form videos & now conversational text–based platforms.

It’s becoming harder and harder to distinguish one platform from the next.

This isn’t a new issue.

Meta tried launching Threads for the first time in 2019, targeting another rival in Snapchat.

And since then, many new features have been released across platforms, most of which are simply replicas of competitors.

New evolutions of social media have been explored, including Clubhouse, BeReal & House Party to name a few.

All concepts that provide a unique user experience. But for one reason or another, none have been able to stand the test of time.

Is it that social media is now in its most developed form, and we have the ideal design for these apps?

I hope not, people are still very much the product. We need to aim for better.

Social media should replicate the rich variety of experiences we have in our social lives.

A place for communities, like-minded people, and meaningful conversations.

Ultimately, the tools on these social media platforms shape the behaviour, which shapes the communities.

Different tools are needed, which in turn will create drastically different communities.

It’s time for a social media that shapes us for good.