Internet-first Platforms diversified away from the article template.

While Internet-first Platforms advocated for and built on the article format, they themselves continued investing in new content Formats.

Internet-first platforms — Apple, Twitter, Google — have launched mobile-first formats. Google built cards in its material design. Tweet embeds are mobile-first. Finally, iOS has widgets. In WWDC 2020 Special Event Keynote, Craig Federighi of Apple introduced widgets as, “Widgets help you get information at a glance.” He goes on to describe them as beautiful and data-rich. Additionally, they now came in different sizes so users could choose the one that best fits their needs.

On the other extreme, Internet-first Platforms built highly immersive formats like Mix-media Immersive Scrollytelling. For example, Facebook invested in Facebook 360 videos and Oculus Virtual Reality. Google built Web Stories and Apple is pushing for Augmented Reality with every passing release.

Footnotes:

• Newscards: Mobile-first widgets in The Times of India | by Ritvvij Parrikh | What’s next at TOI