Twitter is considered a mainstream platform as it has no intended target audience and is open for everyone to use. As of late 2016, Twitter averaged over 317 million monthly active users. In contrast, an independent company or product has a very small, specific target audience, such as the small film production company Bruizer. A niche company focuses on a particular product within a specific market segment, like Rolex watches. However, some niche companies expand their offerings over time and become more mainstream, as Nike started as a niche athletic brand but grew significantly.

1. Mainstream
Twitter:
Twitter is a mainstream product because they have no intended target, however their product is for everyone. As
of the third quarter of 2016, the microblogging service averaged at 317 million monthly active users. At the
beginning of 2015, Twitter had surpassed 302 MAU per quarter.
Independent
A independent company or product is when they have a very small target audience. An example of this is the
film production company ‘Bruizer’. They aren’t as big as the likes of 20th centaury fox, universal, Warner Bros
and Disney.
Niche
A niche company is a business that focuses on a particular type of product within a specific market segment.
While many businesses start out as niche companies with narrowly defined specializations, only some remain
niche companies as they grow. Others branch out and expand their offerings. An example of a niche company is
Rolex where they only specialise on watches. However Nike started off as a niche company and moved on to a
mainstream company e.g. The Nike athletic machine began as a small distributing outfit located in the trunk of
Phil Knight's car. From these rather inauspicious beginnings, Knight's brainchild grew to become the shoe and
athletic company that would come to define many aspects of popular culture

2. Mainstream
Companies like twitter, Instagram, snapchat, apple and so on… are all mainstream,
because they do not have a specific target audience (primary or
secondary)meaning anyone, that are any age can use there product/ platform.
Independent
However, on the other hand an independent company is a company that has a
specific primary and secondary audience, and could also focus on a certain gender.
For example a film company could also focus on a certain type of person/
personnel, for example someone with a really bubbly and funny personality would
really enjoy a comedy, or someone with an adventurous personality would enjoy a
film like Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Caribbean.
Niche
A film would be categorised in as a niche film if it focused on a specific thing. For
example the documentary life only focuses on nature and wildlife meaning they
only focus on one thing.