The crash of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp social networks may spell the rise of alternative social media and messenger apps, which have already seen a surge in downloads, experts have told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2021) The crash of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp social networks may spell the rise of alternative social media and messenger apps, which have already seen a surge in downloads, experts have told Sputnik.
Facebook suffered a prolonged outage on Monday that also disrupted some of its other services including Instagram and WhatsApp. US media, citing Facebook's recovery team, reported that the outage was caused by a border gateway protocol update.
Meanwhile, the Telegram messenger announced having added 70 million users amid the Facebook crash.
According to Alina Clark, a co-founder of the LA-based CocoDoc software development business, the recent glitch broadens the appeal of alternative media platforms and texting apps, and this appeal goes beyond the offers of user privacy.
"If anything, the recent Facebook crash may just be the biggest reason for a surge in alternative social media sites," Clark said.
The tech entrepreneur thinks that the outage has tarnished Facebook's "aura of dependability" in the eyes of users.
"This one incident is enough to send warning bells ringing for a lot of users. That's why, Telegram, Signal, and other messaging apps are still receiving a large number of downloads, even after Facebook and WhatsApp resumed normal service," Clark stated.
However, simply having options may not be enough, Jenna Drenten, the acting chair of the Department of Marketing at the Loyola University Chicago's Quinlan school of Business, believes.
"For a more competitive online marketplace for social media platforms, consumers need to not only have options but also to view those options as equivalent alternatives. They have to view Telegram as equal to or better than WhatsApp. A crash like this prompted people to really consider other alternatives," Drenten said.
With Facebook back online, the question is whether users will stick to new alternatives or go back to what they know best.
"In the case of social media, switching away from Facebook owned platforms means consumers might give up the social ties and relationships they have in their existing network or give up the time it takes to learn the ins and outs of a new platform. These are all things that keep people tethered to Facebook," Drenten explained.
