Twitter and the Third Party App Crackdown
Lauren Peek | @treblemaker45
The internet community has been discussing Twitter’s new API v1.1 ever since it was announced this past summer. As everyone is being moved onto the first major API (application programming interface) update since the platform first launched 6 years ago, many third party apps are being left out in the dark.
Internet savvy-ness has become more and more of a requirement in the business world in the recent decade. Social media usage and importance has exploded as people seek ways to connect with each other without speaking face to face. Facebook has started to successfully move just a social networking site to a profitable business, and Twitter wants (and needs) to join the party.
Since Twitter has refused to sell out to a larger company in order to make a profit, it must look elsewhere to make money. More advertising is perhaps the best, easiest, and most proven solution. But, how can Twitter make sure you are seeing the advertisements if you aren’t using their app? Answer: they can’t.
In order to attract advertisers and become a profitable company, Twitter has to crack down on how their platform is used. Unfortunately, creating a monopoly for the popular on-the-go aspect of Twitter, is the way to get it done. Twitter’s new API attempts to encourage users to use the platform’s official application, complete with paid ads and sponsored tweets.
Twitter has begun to shut down the third party apps that have been growing the community since the beginning of the platform. Tweetdeck is moving off of mobile devices onto computers. The third party apps that haven’t folded yet are getting limits on the number of members able to use that application with user tokens, designed to prevent growth. While some apps, like Falcon Pro have reportedly started a petition to increase the number of user tokens they get, their efforts have so far been unsuccessful. Twitter wants to you user THEIR app.
This is the way of the future. To become profitable, Twitter needs to you see the ads. The only way to really ensure this, is to get everyone using one app. From a money standpoint, it makes sense. It’s just unfortunate that the third party apps that have made Twitter what it is today have to suffer.