The article also highlights the challenges faced by developers, such as rapid changes in APIs and the risk of platforms replicating their features. Despite these challenges, developers continue to create new apps, often diversifying their revenue across different platforms. The growth of these new social networks will be critical for the sustainability of third-party apps. The article ends by noting that while it's hard for users to keep up with new social networks, developers are trying to create bridges between these platforms to improve user experience.
Key takeaways:
- In 2023, social networks like Twitter and Reddit started to monetize their data and limit third-party access to their platforms, leading to mixed feelings among developers.
- New social networks like Bluesky and Mastodon, which are more open to third-party developers, have emerged, but their growth will be critical for developers to earn a sustainable income.
- Meta's Threads, with more than 130 million active users, is the largest player in this new wave of social networks, and has started experimenting with ActivityPub integration and working on a Threads API.
- Developers who have been burnt by social networks in the past are wary of relying too much on these platforms to make money, and are looking to diversify their revenue across different apps and platforms.