It appears now that Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter are becoming a digital version of the Hatfields and McCoys. They have declared their property, and they will not let the other encroach upon it. First there was Instagram, and now it’s a new Twitter feature called Vine.
Just a day after Twitter launched the video-sharing application called Vine, Facebook disabled the “Find People” button on the app, which would have allowed Vine users to connect with and share videos with Facebook friends. This seems to be the latest salvo between Facebook and Twitter, which has gotten increasingly acrimonious since Facebook bought photo-sharing service Instagram last year. Late last year, it was reported that Instagram had disabled a feature that allowed Twitter users to view photos directly in their Twitter feeds. Now, Twitter users have to click through to the Instagram main web site to view photos completely.
The tensions between the two platforms were manageable until Facebook (NADAQ:FB) bought Instagram for about $750 million. It was reported that Twitter had a verbal agreement to buy Instagram for about $525 million before Facebook swooped in. There is no official word as to whether this latest move is intentional or just an innocent glitch, but Facebook has been developing a reputation for protecting and defending its massive stores of user information, so another step to not allow users of another platform to use Facebook’s data catalog would seem to be consistent.
What do you think? Is this just pettiness between Facebook Inc. and Twitter, or something legitimate about protecting “territory”? Do you think users lose out in battles like this, and how do you think these rivalries will affect users and their audiences? We’d like your comments below about Facebook and its current business model.
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