Poor Little Birdy: Instagram Beat Twitter In Mobile Users

According to a recent post on All Things Digital, the number of Instagram mobile users has surpassed Twitter by almost a half million. With the acquisition of Instagram by Facebook, it seems that Facebook’s move into the mobile industry is a direct attack against the Twitter populace (and that does not mean a Facebook phone is coming out). So, should Twitter be worried? Tweeting as opposed to Liking has always been a preference for most, but what made Twitter popular was the social media platform’s mobile accessibility. Facebook mentioned in a recent interview with TechCrunch that the social media mogul’s campaign was to drive ad sales through mobile devices. Twitter appears to be falling to the wayside as Facebook continues to make statements like these, but is that really the case?

Twitter is, and has always been, a platform to blast announcements at a rapid speed (hence tweeting). If Twitter latches an Instagram-like photo program onto its platform, maybe the numbers we see today will flip-flop, bringing Twitter back to the top. I can’t imagine an older photo sharing program like Flickr would do the trick though. Maybe it could be a new app called PhotoCrop or PicIt or something moderately clever.

After the Twitter-LinkedIn breakup and Twitter’s faulty features, some people might think Twitter will become another passing phase of the social media community. If Twitter doesn’t develop features that keep up with the growth of Facebook or its ex, LinkedIn, we might see this little bird fly for the final time. On the other hand, maybe less is more. If Twitter hangs on to its roots, maintains its original features, and limits change, there might be less of a chance Twitter could fall to the wayside. Most Facebook users get a little flustered when a tiny change happens, but what about a complete overhaul? Don’t get me started. Is Twitter in jeopardy, or is this another cry for popularity? What existing photo app could out-perform Instagram? What additional features could make Twitter better? Only time will tell how this will all play out.