Now that Twitter has blocked Instagram images from being expanded and viewed on Twitter, Facebook has decided to continue the animosity between the two social networking giants. In its latest move, Facebook has decided to completely block Twitter’s Vine application from Facebook just a few days after the launch of Vine. Vine is a mobile app that allows people to take small looping videos from their smartphones and share them on the Internet. This means that users will not be able to share Vine videos on Facebook – and this could be a huge blow for the success of Vine.
Facebook blocks other apps too
Facebook is one of the most popular social networking platforms for the sharing of videos and Vine could have limited popularity if its videos cannot be shared on the largest social network in the world. In a similar vein, Facebook has blocked Yandex – Russia’s most popular social search application, from accessing its website. In another move to curb openness on the Internet, it has also blocked the messaging app from Voxer – the popular mobile walkie-talkie app creators, from accessing Facebook.
Is openness among in social media a thing of the past?
As social networking sites are getting more popular, their willingness to integrate with other platforms seems to be reducing. Successful internet companies are now looking to gain independence and complete monopoly by pushing the usage of their own products. Take for example Google’s foray into social media with the launch of Google+. In a move to promote Google+, the company ensures that Google+ profiles rank high on its search engine results. Similarly, Facebook is looking to make a move into the search engine world with the launch of Graph Search.
By acquiring Instagram – one of the most popular image-sharing social networking platforms, Facebook is now poised to monopolize the social networking world. Other companies have also followed suite. Apple decided to block Google Maps on all iOS devices to promote its own map application. Apple’s map application may have been ridiculed but this goes to show that most companies want to isolate themselves from competitors and promote only their own products and the cost of users’ experience with their products. Android seems to be the only product that remains open and is extremely popular because of it.
With companies deciding not to collaborate with other competitors and to stop integrating their products with third-party applications, openness on the web is diminishing. This is also hampering innovation. Will companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter continue to stop compatibility between platforms even though it hurts users’ experience with these platforms? Or will user backlash change their minds? We can only wait and see.