YOU will likely not have failed to notice everyone is wetting themselves over Threads.
Facebook’s new Twitter rival has had more than 100 million sign-ups since launch last week.
For the avoidance of doubt, it is actually the baby of Instagram (and Facebook) owner Meta.
But – as with everything – it’s all just smoke-and-mirror, commercially-driven semantics.
And as far as I’m concerned it’s already living on borrowed time… and I’ll tell you for why.
Twitter hit our screens 17 years ago and circa 2010 I was one of its early-ish advocates.
I used it primarily to tweet live updates while reporting on football matches.
Then Twitter was, brilliantly, democratic.
It was free and easy and somewhere you could DM Charlie Big Spuds and expect a reply.
Now the real deal costs at least a ton per year and Chas’ media-muppets will block you.
It is a similar tale with Boomer-heaven Facebook, too.
It used to be chock-full of organic – routinely hilarious – interaction.
Now it’s at least a tenner a month to not be disregarded as an un-blue-ticked neerdowell.
And that’s before you get into the paid-advertising racket.
Now I’m no LinkedIn aficionado, although I have started dabbling with it lately.
And I can report back that it is pretty much the same story – you must pay-to-play.
Meaningful engagement is reserved strictly for those who’ll stick their hands in their pocket.
I had a look at its premium options the other day and am not tripping over myself to join up.
It recommended a ‘Sales Navigator Core’ option to connect to ‘2.5x more decision makers’.
Apparently, after a ‘free month’ I’ll ‘pay as little as £69.99’.
As little.
Fun fact, it’s Microsoft owned so at least you know you’re buying the Bates kids new shoes.
Or a new island.
Anyway, my point is I don’t feel social media’s masters of the universe are reading the room.
Zuckerberg and Musk can sit on their clouds and dream up whatever strategies they like.
Perhaps a good place to start would be Operation Make My Platform Fun And Free again.
Otherwise, sooner or later, the masses will do what they always do and vote with their feet.