Social Media Buzz - 16 Oct 2020

Social Media Buzz is a fortnightly update of the latest news on the major social media platforms that are relevant to marketing practitioners, in just 3 minutes.

Chinese App Helps Users Bypass Great Firewall - Then Disappears

One Chinese app briefly gave the country’s internet users access to long-banned websites like Facebook Inc. and Google, setting off speculation about the future of Beijing’s censorship practices. The Tuber browser, backed by Chinese cybersecurity giant 360 Security Technology Inc., appeared to provide the nation’s 904 million online users the ability to legally visit overseas websites and browse foreign social media.

Source: Bloomberg Quint

Uptick in social media abuse following LAC standoff between India, China

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) officials have said there has been an uptick in the number of social media abuse cases following the standoff between India and China along the Line of the Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. According to officials familiar with the matter, around 500 social media accounts, pages and websites were blocked in September, as compared to around 250 in the corresponding period last year.

Source: Hindustan Times

Google search predictions reflect searches that have been done on Google

As soon as you start typing on Google Search, predictions appear in the search box to help you finish what you’re typing and the credit goes to the Autocomplete feature. According to Google, predictions reflect searches that have been done on Google. “To determine what predictions to show, our systems begin by looking at common and trending queries that match what someone starts to enter into the search box,” the company explained in a blog post.

Source: News Gram

Google pauses plans for 'news showcase' product in Australia

Google has halted plans to launch its ‘News Showcase’ product in Australia as the tech company isn’t clear if it will be viable under the nation’s draft News Media Bargaining code. The company doesn't oppose a code, but the arbitration system outlined in the draft is "unworkable," Mel Silva, Google's vice president in Australia and New Zealand said.

Source: Business Standard

Google Could Be Forced To Sell Chrome, Part Of Ad Business By US Government

US regulators are considering an option where Alphabet Inc could be forced to split part of its advertising business, along with its web browser Google Chrome, according to Politico. The company could be forced to sell these operations as an attempt to limit the tech titan’s dominance in the digital advertising space.

Source: Benzinga

Google is going to turn YouTube into a shopping hub

YouTube is testing a feature that would allow users to directly purchase products they see in videos, according to a report by Bloomberg. It could be one of the biggest changes to Google’s streaming platform yet, turning it into a bit of an Amazon competitor. According to the report, YouTube recently began asking creators to tag and track the products used in their videos. That data is then sent to Google to build out its analytics, as well as shopping tools right on YouTube. The company is said to be testing integration with Shopify as well.

Source: The Next Web

Here’s What Facebook Said About Netflix Docu ‘The Social Dilemma’

Facebook has presented its arguments about the claims made in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma. Facebook has issued an official statement rebuking some of the points the documentary raises about social networks. In a post dissected into seven points, Facebook rebuts some of the claims made by the creators of ‘The Social Dilemma’ and says the documentary sensationalises the whole concept of social media platforms.

Source: Gigazine

Facebook’s Removing its 28-Day Attribution Model for Conversions from Ads

Facebook has announced that it is removing its 28-day attribution window option for Facebook ads, which will mean that advertisers will no longer be able to track direct actions based on their campaigns over a longer period. Facebook’s attribution models enable advertisers to measure specific responses to their campaigns, based on rules set by the advertiser.

Source: Gadget Page India

Facebook Announces New Groups Features, Including Automated Moderation Tools and New Engagement Options

Facebook has hosted its annual Communities Summit, which, like all events in 2020, is entirely online. And as with past Communities Summit events, Facebook has announced a range of new features for groups, and provided some new insights into group usage, engagement, etc. The biggest addition, from a group management perspective, is Admin Assist, which is a new process that will enable group admins to set up automated rules for post moderation, saving them time in having to sort through common problematic posts.

Source: Social Media Today

Twitter Will Turn Off Some Features to Fight Election Misinformation

Twitter said features like its recommendation algorithm and instant retweeting wouldn’t be restored until the presidential election result was known. The changes will temporarily alter the look and feel of Twitter. The company will essentially give users a timeout, for example, before they can hit the button to retweet a post from another account.

Source: The New York Times

Twitter Shares New Insights into Key Trends During COVID-19

Twitter has shared some insights into major topics that users are focusing on and what do people give attention more as a result of the pandemic. These insights may help you understand better these key shifts and how they are related to marketing communications. Here is a grasp at some of the trends that Twitter highlighted in its analysis.

Source: Digital Market News

India joins UK in drive against encrypted social media messages

The UK and India are joined by the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan in a joint international statement addressed to all tech companies to ensure they do not blind themselves to illegal activity on their platforms, including child abuse images.

Source: The Hindu

Ikea Australia apologises and 'unpromotes' social media campaign after Hindu group protest

Hindus expressed their outrage over an IKEA advert showing a woman in a yoga pose they allege is cultural appropriation and mocking the ancient practice. A representative for a global Hindu group is urging the global furniture behemoth to withdraw the recently launched Australian campaign video 'IKEA product pose Yoga' and apologise.

Source: Campaign India

Pakistani social media platforms incite anti-India sentiments in Azerbaijan

There are evidences surfacing on social media that Pakistanis in Azerbaijan or even those who are based in Pakistan are trying to take advantage of the present situation in Azerbaijan to incite anti-India sentiments among the local population.

Source: The Economic Times India