Twitter will stay cool and relevant, not only because of the influencers who make snarky, witty tweets that make us laugh, but, also because of the campaigns that have larger political goals. These progressive users represent the cool that money can’t buy. This is the cool that Asian American feminists harnessed to capture the attention of more than 20,000 men and women of diverse backgrounds from around the world, drawing attention to stereotypes of Asian American women. While her #CancelColbert campaign has attracted much attention, it’s worthwhile to revisit the aims of #NotYourAsianSidekick that first introduced many of us to the young activist who led a campaign that trended internationally, inspiring men and women of diverse backgrounds to critique enduring stereotypes of Asian American women.

Why Techies Should Care About #NotYourAsianSidekick

Things have changed since platforms like Facebook and Yahoo! were in Twitter’s place: big, cool and growing. Facebook has admitted that they are concerned that their young users are losing interest in the platform. Yahoo! CEO, Ken Goldman acknowledges that the brand acquired Tumblr, in large part, to capitalize on its cool factor stating: “One of our challenges is we have had an aging demographic…Part of it is going to be just visibility again in making ourselves cool, which we got away from for a couple of years.”

Greater empires than Twitter have fallen. The platform faces the ever present and inevitable challenge of any social site: relevance and cool factor. In understanding what makes platforms like Twitter succeed, much attention has been placed on CEO decisions and acquisitions. It’s as if understanding the users, their likes, passions, jokes and fears was irrelevant to its IPO and revised business model. NBC’s Heesun Wee suggests Twitter attracts a different user than Facebook or Tumblr. Unlike Facebook or Instagram which encourage users to “Like at Me!,” he states: “Twitter requires more effort. You have to say something. Witty. Terse and poetic even. And just showing up and being boring can actually cost you in followers dumping you.” Wee cites Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter Group, a San Mateo, Calif.-research who echoes this point, noting: “Twitter is beloved by a much more connected person, who understands the pace of a real-time world.” As these more reflective users are what give Twitter it’s unique edge, its important to understand their role in its business growth and potential (for success or setbacks).