How Social Media Became the Ultimate Relevance Machine

In the ever-evolving social landscape, the journey from networking to the era of interest graph-based social media has been nothing short of transformative. Social media platforms are transitioning from gatekeepers of content to curators of relevance.

Let’s first rewind back to the era of social networks, as we navigate the changing tides of the dynamics amongst platforms and creators / brands. 

From Social Networks to Social Media

When Facebook first introduced the Feed feature in 2009, it marked the transformation of social networking into social media. Social media companies, despite acting like media entities, do not actually create content. Instead, they place the creative responsibility on their users. Users turned into content creators, setting social media apart from traditional media companies. 

Yet, the shift from a chronological feed to algorithm-driven content distribution (a.k.a “Social Graph”) aimed at enhancing user experiences handed greater control to the platforms as intermediaries in information dissemination. 

Embracing the Interest Graph

The social graph reigned dominance until TikTok’s growth in 2019, as it emerged as a catalyst for the “interest graph”, a new algorithm that serves users content most likely to engage them, independent of social connections. “Interest graph” isn’t only limited to short-form videos. RED (Xiaohongshu), a Chinese social media platform, was already serving photos and short blog posts based on this concept.

Major platforms followed to introduce similar concepts in one way or another - with Instagram introducing Reels, LINE introducing Voom, and WeChat introducing Channels.

Content Relevance Takes Center Stage

The pivotal shift in the landscape revolves around content relevance, with social media platforms moving away from profiling channels to focus on the significance of contextual creative. This shift transformed platforms into curators of relevance rather than mere gatekeepers of content. Users can customize their feed, shaping the ‘For You page’ that caters to their content preferences, essentially becoming the main architects of their own algorithm. 

With the changing dynamics among creators, audiences, and platform intermediaries, brands are shifting from being caught in the middle with platforms, relying on ad spending and platform hacking, to aligning themselves more closely with creators.

The Quest for Maximum Relevance

Efficiency and effectiveness in the social media landscape now hinge on finding right to maximize relevance. While staying platform-native remains essential, social media is no longer only a numbers-driven game. Contextual creative emerges as the sole element that brands and creators have complete control over on social platforms. It is where they can double down and achieve maximum relevance, thereby delivering genuine impact.

As platforms continue to evolve with more sophisticated algorithms, brands and creators can remain hyper-relevant by delivering contextually rich creative to a diverse audience who have the power to decide what they want to consume, more than ever.