In December 2013 Twitter released an update that allowed users to send photos via direct message. Shortly thereafter Instagram released Instagram Direct – a similar offering that let users send pictures and videos to one another. 

The question is, are users ready to embrace Direct Messaging (DM) on these platforms?

Over-reach?

Much of the appeal of Twitter and Instagram is the ability to publicly share, discover and comment on content. What would Twitter be without retweets and Instagram without Likes?

However with DM the platforms are being asked to change how people are used to, and comfortable with, acting in that space. Especially when other options are available.

Case in point: Snapchat.

Snap happy

Snapchat's users send 400 million photos, or “snaps” a day. 88 per cent of these are sent to one other person. 

This means Snapchat's users are comfortable using the platform as a DM service, plus the fact that “snaps” are erased within 24 hours is no doubt an incentive for many.

Too many cooks?

Users are happy to flitter between platforms for different needs. If they need to announce a life event Facebook is the ticket, to share breaking news Twitter, and Instagram for your that Kodak moment.

While there are no stats available for Instagram Direct or Twitter's updated messaging service, it will be interesting to what message users send in response to these updates.

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