We see the complete dominance of the social media giants in terms of recognition and user numbers. These are mainly Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (now X), but there are also social networks popular in local markets in China, Russia, etc. At the same time, less visible platforms like Mastodon, Threads, and BeReal are participating in the emergence of trends for openness, naturalness, etc.
Brands that strive not only to catch up with the market, but also to predict its direction, can be one step ahead if they work with these platforms. Some of them serve narrow social groups, which can be a valuable marketing tool in the hands of an experienced SMM manager.
Conventional sentiment analysis methods perform well in quantifying user sentiments on popular platforms, but they are not always suitable for monitoring the distinct ecosystems of smaller, emergent networks. This divide gives marketers with both an opportunity and a challenge.
Brands that can successfully track and measure sentiment on these alternative platforms may find themselves in a powerful position to capitalize on early trends, uncover niche communities, and connect with audiences in a way their competitors can’t.
The Problem with Traditional Sentiment Analysis
Sentiment analysis involves analyzing words and phrases said about a brand to understand the attitude of society or potential customers toward the company’s image. It can also be called monitor brand reputation. But the current tools have a blind spot.
Almost all popular tools are tailored to large social networks, such as Twitter or Reddit. Working with developing networks remains a relatively unexplored niche, as it is more difficult to find target services for data processing, there are few APIs, and you need to adapt to the specifics of each platform separately.
This is what makes this niche sparsely populated and valuable. When something is being talked about from every iron, rest assured that you are already on board with tens of thousands of others.
For example, Mastodon’s decentralized nature means that it isn’t just one platform but a collection of servers, each with its own community and norms. Threads, launched as a conversational hub, emphasizes community engagement over viral trends.
BeReal operates in a completely different space by emphasizing unfiltered and ephemeral content, complicating traditional sentiment tracking tools designed for highly curated content like that found on Instagram or YouTube. As a result, the existing sentiment tracking tools struggle to scrape and analyze content from these platforms.
The Rise of Emerging Platforms: Why They Matter
It’s important to comprehend the reasons behind the popularity of sites like Mastodon, Threads, and BeReal before delving into the specifics of sentiment tracking. Due to disillusionment with traditional social networks, a particular user base finds appeal in the unique offerings of each of these networks.
- Mastodon: Mastodon functions similarly to a confederation of separately managed servers, or “instances.” In practice, users have greater freedom of action and interaction with other participants. For users looking to escape the massive data-mining companies, the platform’s emphasis on privacy, community-driven content moderation, and ad-free experience make it a sanctuary.
- Threads: Meta’s most recent product seeks to give users a less formal, text-focused conversation area. Allegedly positioning itself as a rival to Twitter, Threads capitalizes on the demand for concise conversations, sharing an audience with Instagram that consists of both professional and casual users.
- BeReal: An app called BeReal focuses on unadorned real-life events. Without any photo processing, the service allows users to share one photo every day. For individuals who desire authenticity, BeReal is the better option than Instagram, which opts for perfection. This contrasting idea is useful even for businesses, as it helps to better understand their potential customers or spot an emerging trend at the very beginning of its foundation.
Such phenomena are almost everywhere, even in sports. For example, absolutely everyone has heard of the NBA, the WNBA is a less hyped analogue. You won’t even immediately find how to watch WNBA games.
Usually, you need to download VPN apps on iOS for this. Despite the need for VeePN VPN apps, trends can originate in such small leagues or alternative services, and when they pass the testing stage, they will appear on their older brothers. Those who can spot trends before others can monetize this knowledge.
Early Adopter Advantages
For early adopters, emerging platforms offer a great opportunity. Before the platforms become overrun with commercial content, brands may establish genuine, strong ties with their audience by joining these specialized markets early on.
Take BeReal as an example, which is gaining traction with Gen Z users. As of 2023, BeReal has over 20 million daily active users, 73% of whom were between the ages of 16 and 24 (Statista). That’s a big audience, especially if younger consumers are the target market for your brand. A company that jumps into this market early can capitalize on the platform’s emphasis on spontaneity and authenticity by developing an authentic and natural presence.
Mastodon, on the other hand, may not boast numbers as high as Twitter’s, but its user base is loyal and passionate about privacy and decentralized communication. Brands focusing on privacy, transparency, or those offering open-source products may find a valuable, like-minded audience here.
Mastodon had 1.8 million active users in November 2022—a figure that surged during Twitter’s tumultuous transition. Early adoption in such spaces allows brands to organically connect with their values-aligned audience before the space becomes saturated with competition.
The Road Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
Even if tracking sentiment on lesser-known websites has clear advantages, there are still challenges. The methods for collecting and evaluating data will also change over time, as these platforms are always evolving. A variety of restrictions are also associated with the features of the platform. For instance, Mastodon frequently verifies the data collected by the platform.
Sentiment tracking on emerging platforms offers marketers access to early adopters and new markets. Not many marketers choose to overcome these shortcomings to unlock hidden potential. Market sentiment data can be the missing link to gaining a competitive advantage on social media.
Conclusion
In a world where a few large social media platforms rule the roost, the emergence of new networks such as BeReal, Threads, and Mastodon poses a challenge as well as an opportunity for marketers.
While custom site scrapers and manual data analysis are examples of new techniques that can provide marketers with early insights into untapped groups, typical sentiment analysis technologies are not up to par on these platforms. The companies who make the investment to monitor sentiment on these specialized platforms now will be the ones establishing trends in the future.
