The last few weeks have seen heightened and intensified efforts by giant social media firms to optimise their user experiences in a race that has seen innovations heat up as the multinationals seek to exert their authority.
So rapid have the changes been that some of the consumers have conceded to their inability to keep up with the pace yet, more seems to be in the pipeline.
The first major disruption of the space happened earlier in the month when Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta took on Twitter by unveiling the Threads app that amassed a record 100 million users five days after launch.
Reports indicate that Threads now has attracted one-fifth of the weekly active user base of Twitter.
Next, Twitter last week rebranded to X and dropped the signature blue bird logo, replacing it with the X.
The Elon Musk-owned platform took the game a notch higher by unveiling plans for a payment scheme for creators based on content impressions as happens on YouTube, commonly known as advertising revenue sharing.
Musk revealed that the X branding is part of a wider strategy to incorporate more services into the platform, including payments, banking and commerce.
Not to sit back and watch as the war between the two heavyweights unfold, TikTok joined the turf war and introduced the capability to make text-only posts as happens on both Facebook and Twitter, a shift from the traditional provision where users could only upload video posts.
Even before the end of the week, Meta unveiled a subscription service for its Instagram and Facebook users to get verification for Sh1,320 a month.
Twitter had rolled out a similar service earlier in the year with monthly subscription charges for individual users being set at $11 (Sh1,564 at current exchange rates) while companies and State agencies are required to part with $1,000 (Sh142,210) to retain their verification badges.
But what is driving this renewed aggression for dominance?
“There is a Big Data rush, just like the way we had the gold rush. Data is currently the most expensive item everywhere and will remain so in the foreseeable future. So the competition is about who can amass more data, more advertising revenue, more creator and subscriber sign-ups,” opines digital marketing strategist Nyandia Gachago.
She also points to a battle of egos among the platform owners as responsible for the dominance race.
But amid the craze, is there something worth for users to pick?
Social media marketing expert Janet Machuka says creators have a golden opportunity to position themselves and reap from the systemic updates by enhancing their creativity and aligning themselves with the unfolding trends.
“As happens on YouTube, impressions and content interactivity will play a major role in the advertising revenue-sharing programme unveiled by Twitter and this calls for heightened creativity as the system comes into force,” says Machuka.
“For a starting tip, Twitter creators who will be part of the paid programme should be part of the Twitter Blue subscription. Caution should, however, be taken to ensure you balance this with relatable content so that you don’t spend on the badge subscription and end up getting little or none of the ad-sharable revenue,” she adds.
For Ms Gachago, getting ready to monetise content across the various platforms as the various offerings continue to be rolled out will involve more than just creative acumen.
“You will only be able to monetise content if you are knowledgeable and experienced in a certain niche, already run a content platform that you’re passionate about, can spend more time working on the platform and are verified whether through pay subscription or organic earning,” she says.
Barrack Onyango, founder and digital brand strategist at marketing firm Sparks Corporates, describes the move by Twitter to roll out revenue sharing as genius, saying it will lead to a mass exodus by users from rival platforms.
“The move is set to attract influencers and popular content creators to Twitter from other platforms and I think this was one of the strategies for the brains behind this move, enriching the platform with a diverse range of voices and perspectives,” he says.
“Remember, these creators bring with them their loyal followers, potentially expanding Twitter’s user base and boosting overall activity on the platform.”
Mr Onyango, however, expresses reservations regarding the evaluation of the integrity of the impressions and the ability to put in place measures to prevent abuse of the system.
