In 2023, social networks underwent a major shift as companies realized the value of their data. Platforms like Twitter (now X) and Reddit made changes to their terms, essentially shutting out third-party experiences and placing a premium on their data which is sought after for training AI models.
After speaking with various third-party developers, it was evident that while some are enthusiastic about the emergence of decentralized networks, others have not seen sufficient incentives to create new apps around social networks.
The APIcalypse
Historically, Twitter was one of the most popular social networks for third-party apps. However, in January, the company abruptly changed its developer terms, effectively shutting down third-party apps. This move was followed by significant price hikes and limitations on API access, causing disruptions for third-party experiences.
Twitterrific was one of the earliest Twitter clients. Image Credit: Twitterrific
Reddit also made changes to its API terms, resulting in several Reddit-centric apps shutting down while others initiated paid subscriptions to sustain themselves. Despite these changes, some apps were exempted due to their non-commercial nature.
Image Credits: Apollo app image by TechCrunch
This called for a drastic shift among developers, with some opting to continue developing their apps while others, disillusioned by the unpredictability of social platforms, stopped developing altogether.
Safeguarding Data from AI
Twitter and Reddit implemented new restrictions on their APIs to protect their data from exploitation by AI companies. They introduced measures to prevent data scraping and instantly follow-up with the launch of AI models using the valuable user data obtained.
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Legacy social networks closing their doors to developers have given way to a new brand of clients — largely focusing on decentralized platforms. Social platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky have promised that they will support the development of alternative experiences. For users, it’s hard to keep up with new social networks springing up frequently. Their best bet is that developers trying to create bridges between these social networks by trying to implement cross-posting or bringing all feeds together will be able to do so without platforms shutting them down.
If you work at any of the social networks, or a developer trying to build something around social media platforms I’d love to hear from you on im@ivanmehta.com.
