Every App Had an Identity Until They All Just Decided to Copy TikTok
KEY POINTS
- â˘YouTube, Instagram, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat once had distinct roles in digital media.
- â˘David Pierce reports in The Vergeâs Stepback newsletter that these platforms now all adopt vertical video features.
- â˘This shift marks a departure from their original identities as they mimic TikTok's successful format.
Once upon a simpler digital era, YouTube was the video museum, Instagram kept your selfies organized, Netflix moonlighted as HBO wannabe, Facebook was where old friends lurked, Twitter reported hot takes, and Snapchat was your disappearing DM dealer. Then, like a squirrel tromping through a Zen garden, every platform suddenly caught the vertical video fever. No exact timeline because tech trends spread faster than common sense at a family dinner. David Pierce at The Verge chronicled this identity crisis in social media, reminding us all that keeping an app distinct these days is about as likely as your grandma getting TikTok fameâawkward and slow, but inevitable.
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(1 of 3)Remember when apps actually had identities? Now it's just a vertical video clone fest and weâre all pretending it was planned.
Vertical video is the new black. Did Instagram just confess itâs TikTokâs awkward little sibling?
If every app is now about vertical video, does that mean YouTubeâs next stop is interpretive dance streams?
Source: Theverge | Published: 7/26/2026 | Author: David Pierce
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