Can lightning strike twice? Today, that seems to have been brought up with the unveiling of the upcoming social app built by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. The duo have launched a new venture to explore social apps, according to a report published in. The Bargeincluding debut products artifacta personalized news reader.
The app itself isn’t live yet, but it does offer a waitlist for interested users to sign up. As mentioned, Google Reader sounds like a modern take on his old RSS newsreader app. Google shut down in 2013Except in this case, Artifact is described as a newsreader that uses machine learning to personalize the end-user experience while also adding a social element that allows users to discuss articles they find with their friends. increase. (To be fair, Google Reader had a similar feature, but users had to program the app itself to add RSS feeds directly.)
Artifact will initially present curated news stories, says The Verge article, but these will be tailored to the user’s interests over time. Some articles come from well-known publishers such as The New York Times, while others come from smaller sites. Other key features include comment controls, a separate feed of articles posted with comments by users you follow, and a Direct Her messages inbox for more private discussion of posts.
This concept seems to overlap with one of Twitter’s larger use cases for news discussion. It’s also a time when Twitter users are considering new options after Elon Musk acquired the app. disorderly Made many When frequent controversial app roadmap and policy changes, Alienation Some longtime users in the process.
But as explained, Artifact doesn’t sound entirely original. Not only does it look like a modern twist to the Google Reader type of experience, it can compete with a wide variety of other news reading apps, old and new, that contain personalization elements.favorite flip board, SmartNews, Newsbreak.sounds similar to pocket and the new Competitor issues, It offers a combination of news browsing, curated recommendations, and comments.flat Substack now takes advantage of Twitter’s destabilization, to initiate a way for readers and writers to chat within the app.Overseas, the model found success with his Toutiao on ByteDance, but in the US version would be difficult to produce.
And of course, the new app will also compete in many ways with Meta, the social media giant left by the Instgram co-founder in 2018. Facebook, and to a lesser extent Instagram and WhatsApp, serve as portals for billions of people to interact and engage today. News and information, updates from the friends, family, groups and businesses you follow.
So, no matter how sophisticated and differentiated Artifact becomes, consumers may still face a lot of competition in a market where consumers already have built-in news apps available on Apple News and Google News.
The Verge reports that the two believe a recent leap in machine learning technology could help give Artifact an edge, but the algorithm’s recommendations elevated TikTok to the dominant app. It is the same as playing the role of letting
But while TikTok’s personalized For You feed is undeniably addictive, the video app’s growth has been driven by record marketing spending on user acquisition efforts. In 2018, it reached $1 billion annually. WSJ reportedEven startups from noteworthy founders may not have the same amount of fuel to light a fire. And at a time when young her Gen Z users often turn to entertainment apps like his TikTok to stay up to date on news and world events, reading news itself is an outdated marketplace. It seems like
It’s also tapping into the polarized news ecosystem, with its founders pledging to be “subjective” and “hard” on content on the network.
That said, it’s hard to count the success of those who built Instagram. $1 billion It was one of the biggest social technology acquisitions of its time, and has shaped the way the world interacts with social media, for better or worse.
An early-stage product, Artifact, is still in development and not yet monetized, but was mentioned as a possible option for revenue sharing with publishers. (where have you heard it before?)
The app’s individual success may or may not matter in the end, but given that the founders intend to test other new social products through their new venture.
The Artifact website currently accepts signups from anyone with a US (+1) phone number.
