Twitter is a social network, right? Wrong – it’s actually a news app, at least according to the Apple App Store.
The official Twitter app has moved from the ‘Social Networking’ category on the App Store, and instead now lives in the ‘News’ section.
Timing of the change is particularly interesting. It comes after Twitter’s less than stellar earnings report this week. Twitter reported lacklustre user growth, causing investors to panic, which in turn led to a 15% crash in stock value.
Twitter has shown a recent interest in capitalising on the news it generates, most obviously with last year’s launch of Moments, a news platform based on tweets, curated in-house.
That’s because although Twitter has struggled to catch up to Facebook’s 1.5 billion-strong monthly active user base, the platform is a veritable goldmine for news.
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But the switch in categories doesn’t necessarily mean Twitter doesn’t want to be seen as a social network anymore. Instead, it looks more likely that the move may have been a ploy to increase downloads.
When Twitter was in ‘Social Networking’, it was ranked as the #5 app to download. But in ‘News’, it has risen to the lofty heights of #1 slot. That means it is likely to garner a lot more attention from users.
It’s also worth noting that on Android’s Google Play Store, the Twitter app is still in ‘Social’ and not ‘News’, which suggests that the social network branding hasn’t been abandoned entirely.
We’ve asked Twitter for comment on the move, and we’ll update this article with any response.
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How do you see Twitter – as a social network or as a news app? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
