Meta reportedly wants to be the new Twitter

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Meta has reportedly been brainstorming ways to fill the Twitter-sized hole in our hearts.

Kelly Huang at The New York Times got the scoop last Wednesday that Meta employees have been discussing building a Twitter replacement.

With Twitter under new management and many people reconsidering their time on the platform, it seems like the perfect time for Meta to step in. It makes sense. The company is known for “repurposing” other platforms’ ideas.

Multiple ideas were floated, from standalone apps to adding feeds to existing ones:

Those ideas included rolling out Instagram’s new “Notes” feature to add a text feed to Instagram. The company is also reportedly considering using Instagram’s tech to create a text-first app like Twitter.

Notice how none of the ideas include touching Facebook?

That’s odd, but so is trying to cram text feeds into Instagram. Instagram has long been photo-first, with a recent push into video.

READ MORE: New Twitter update rips off TikTok’s ‘For you’ page

What would be a better idea would be borrowing Facebook’s Friend Graph and building a new app around that. It’s no secret that many Facebook users would delete their accounts if it weren’t for their friends and family.

That’s the draw of Facebook, the thing that made it successful to begin with. The ability to have an instant community when you join.

Imagine that instant feeling of belonging and connection when you open a new account on a new, text-first social site. Powerful stuff.

That’s the killer app. None of the pretenders to Twitter’s throne will succeed because it’s hard to build a following.

Meta could succeed because it already has the ultimate connection algorithm. It knows you, your neighbors, your friends, your family, and (almost) everything they do.

There’s no need to shoehorn it into yet another feed on Instagram. Save that space.

Meta, you’ve got a wealth of talented engineers that deserve the chance to make a new app. Don’t squander the opportunity.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Elon Musk says Twitter Blue cuts the number of ads in half
• Nike has a new virtual sneaker store for the metaverse
• Does Instagram notify people when you screenshot a story?
• The Meta Quest 3 will release in late 2023

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.