Why You Should Keep Tabs on New Social Media Platforms

Seriously, you can make history.
By: Oscar Hernandez

​Since the introduction of social media with sites such as MySpace, creatives, primarily music artists, saw the potential of success by using these platforms. That potential continues today. Social media has become a tool companies and business people everywhere have started to take advantage of; and it is a crucial part in taking a product, song, or brand to the next level. We see this with the rise of Instagram influencers. Having a following on social media could now turn into a full-time career and this is all because brands are noticing the power of these platforms. 

It is now nearly impossible to scroll though Instagram without seeing a sponsored post. According to the BBC, Kylie Jenner makes $1.2 million per sponsored post. Some may ask, why are companies paying influencers so much for a post? The fact of the matter is, when users follow their favorite personalities, they are likely to want to relate to the influencer and therefore when we see someone like Kylie Jenner post about a product, many are going to be more interested in the product as opposed to seeing it in a regular advertisement. 

Not only does social media play a hand in helping brands, it can also heavily influence the music industry. Before the reign of social media, artists needed the push and power of a huge music label to make it in the industry. With social media, that is no longer necessary. Artists now have the freedom to post on platforms like SoundCloud, YouTube, and more to get public attention. 

Just this year, rapper Lil Nas X has achieved history-making success with his hit song ‘Old Town Road.’ It is hard to find someone who hasn’t at least heard the song once. The song’s success is due to the app TikTok, which has found immense popularity in the last two years. The song went viral on the app after the #yeeyeejuice challenge became popular on TikTok with users using Old Town Road in their videos. This challenge is without a doubt the reason that this song went viral and shot it to the top of the Billboard charts. The song went on to become the longest running #1 song of all-time on the Billboard’s Hot100 chart, with 17 weeks at the top spot. 
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With social media having so much influence, it is important for companies to recognize that they no longer have all the power. It is better for them to be in tune with the online trends because it will only serve to benefit them in the long run.