September 22, 2014 By BJ Cook,
Well, here we are again. Face to face with inevitability and a horrible feeling you can’t shake; almost like you’ve just eaten way too much pizza for someone on a workout routine (God, what was I thinking?). Or you may be sitting there like you’ve come face to face with a different kind of inevitability, where a social media network has once again done some redecorating with one of its central concepts. So who did what? Well, you may have noticed some changes in your Twitter feed. And if you haven’t yet, try looking up the definition of their Twitter timeline, as it now states: “Additionally, when we identify a Tweet, an account to follow, or other content that's popular or relevant, we may add it to your timeline. This means you will sometimes see Tweets from accounts you don't follow. We select each Tweet using a variety of signals, including how popular it is and how people in your network are interacting with it. Our goal is to make your home timeline even more relevant and interesting.” Twitter is one of those game-changing social media sites that have shaped how we look at connecting to one another, certainly for those who live in the world of social media marketing. And those in digital marketing are aware that the right user experience is always going to keep people coming back. So when such a dynamic changes in some fundamental way, there are going to be some reverberations. Take for instance the level of investment that goes into social media sites that creates a far more personal connection for users. You’re talking about a company so immersed with a person’s social identity it only highlights that what changes for one, changes the other. And our choosing what’s important and what isn’t is part of what get’s us invested because we are actively being part of the process. When companies start to change the way it does things, it makes you wonder how much of an investment you now want to put in. But that’s where it get’s interesting. The idea behind everyone getting involved in popular feeds represents exactly what a social media site is: something present and involved. And when a company shakes things up to promote that idea, we are left wondering what that means for “me,” the user. And that’s the point. Not only are we actively connecting with what is relevant to us, we are now actively engaging in what is outside our comfort zone, or immediate reach. In Twitter’s redefining of its role, it is calling us to out to define our role. Whether happy or disatisfied, knowing that you are a part of this process is what makes social media as powerful as it is: a tool that engages in what it means to be present in the world. So what do you think? If you need any help with your social media marketing, drop us a line.

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