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Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp seemed to work out well.

It’s always more complex than you think

Insta and YT were bought fairly early on the ascent and then pumped hard with some resources and autonomy before being folded in completely. WhatsApp is a legit counterpoint though.

And Google already had Google Video when they bought YouTube. They retired their own platform to go all in on the acquisition.

Are YouTube and WhatsApp social media?

You named the two biggest platforms [0], YouTube and WhatsApp are the social media.

This is kinda like asking if Saudi Arabia and Russia are petrostates lol.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_popular_social_pl...

They were made into social media, but when they were aquired they were just video hosting and sms replacements with little (no?) social engagement aspect.

Yes, few of the prime examples?

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