What’s new with major social media platforms?

You are not alone.

If you cannot keep up with changes to the social media landscape — you’re normal. In fact, that fact places you in a group that accounts for 99 percent of all social media users, even “social media experts.”

It seems that just when organizations and individuals gain a sense of how best to use a platform, a newer platform emerges. And for those who live in the world of marketing, we obsessively experiment and tinker. No one wants to be second — second is far safer, but far less exciting. Social media presents unique communications challenges, and the speed at which the landscape evolves is one of the most significant.

It is always good strategy to take a step back, even for professional communicators, and ask the important questions: Who am I trying to reach, and will this media help me reach them? “First,” is only of lasting importance if you effectively and consistently reach your target audience. With that in mind, here are a few status updates on some of the major social media platforms—some fact and some personal opinion.

I’ll begin with Facebook because it is still, by far, the largest platform and has the broadest reach. The idea that younger demographics are not on Facebook is a fabrication. Facebook’s growth rates are not equal to some of the other platforms, but that is largely due in part to saturation of the platform. It’s hard to grow when everyone is already there. It is true that as a result of its age, Facebook is the grandfather of social media, and while some believe it’s not as cool or hip as younger platforms, it has the wisdom of experience and is still beloved.

Facebook also continues to tinker with its algorithm, which determines who sees what in news feeds. This is making it more difficult for organizations to organically reach large numbers of people. If you want to reach people with your organization’s messages, you will have to pay more to do so now and in the future. This is true of many platforms, but Facebook’s business model is more sophisticated in this way than the others at the moment.

Twitter is in a state of turmoil, with recent leadership concerns and turnover. It is still the best platform for breaking news, but it is going through an identity crisis. Twitter flirted with an algorithm model similar to Facebook, and even though it was presented as optional, it was criticized heavily. Plans to adjust the 140-character limit for tweets have also been heatedly debated. Its stock price has plummeted, and it has a large percentage of inactive users.

Instagram continues to gain traction, and its purchase by Facebook allows for an easy interface with that platform. Its user base continues to grow, and its focus on visual communication provides it with a comfortable niche among the major platforms. LinkedIn also occupies a comfortable niche as a social media platform for professionals. Its content and users continue to be more professional and more civil than on the other platforms.

And finally, Snapchat may be the next platform to make the leap to the mainstream. Primarily used as a personal messaging tool, a small portion of organizations are just getting a handle on how best to use this platform for business purposes. In addition, Wired magazine recently reported that entertainment company Viacom has reached an agreement with Snapchat to sell ads, add to the social media platform’s “Discover” section, and provide Snapchat VIP access to Viacom-sponsored events.

To be sure, next month some of this will have changed, as social media constantly evolves. Then, as today, the popularity of a platform is less important than you meeting your communications goals and reaching your target audiences on their preferred platforms.

Jim Coll is the chief communication officer at the University of Southern Mississippi. For marketing, public relations and social media opinions and news, follow him on Twitter at @jimcollpr and on Facebook at Jim Coll PR.