Social Media Buzz Weekly: Roundup of Social Media Updates
- ClickInsights
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
Welcome to Social Media Buzz Weekly, your weekly bulletin of the latest social media updates. With the social media landscape evolving with each passing day, it can be challenging to keep a tab on the rapid developments. Well, not anymore, as we have taken it upon ourselves to keep you abreast of every happening in the social media space.
So, without any further ado, let’s look at some of the most significant developments from the last week in the world of social media.
1. Meta AI Launches for Mac
Meta has released a Mac version of its Meta AI app, providing another access point to its evolving artificial intelligence assistant tools. The new Mac-specific iteration of Meta AI includes all the features of the mobile app, giving desktop users an option to directly integrate its AI assistant chatbot into their workflow.
The app will work with the functionality of Macs to deliver a more organic AI experience, feeding Meta’s AI-powered responses into the system flow. The system will also integrate publicly available insights about comparable brands, and show how they are building their presence on Meta, providing direct comparison and benchmarking insights.
2. Meta Removes Option to Exclude Ad Placements
Meta advertisers may soon lose one option when setting up their campaigns, with the company alerting advertisers that it will soon be removing the Placements option from ad sets.
Some Meta advertisers are being alerted that changes are coming to their ad targeting options, though no timeline has been announced yet. Meta’s ad placements option enables advertisers to exclude certain Meta ad placements from their campaign. That means if an advertiser doesn’t want their ad shown in search results on Facebook, or via in-stream ads between Reels, they can choose to opt out of these placements. The feature gives marketers more control over their brand presence across Meta’s apps.
3. TikTok Live Adds AI-Generated Intros
TikTok has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered introduction tool within the TikTok Live composer, which will generate a summary of the live host and the focus of their broadcast, which they can then share with viewers.
Live creators on TikTok can tap a button to generate an audience intro summary, which will provide additional context for viewers. This could be helpful, having easy access to a description that’s specifically aligned with live streams. However, it’s not entirely clear how accurate that description will be, nor how the AI-powered process generates these descriptions.
4. TikTok Explores Expanding In-Stream Payment Options
TikTok is reportedly exploring the potential of expanding its TikTok Pay feature to users in the U.S., which would enable American users to send money to other profiles in the app via DM.
TikTok Pay, which is already active in Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, allows users to pay for products directly in the app. Expanding on this, TikTok also offers TikTok PayLater in some markets, which lets users split their purchases into a series of payments. The capacity to facilitate direct payments in-stream could significantly impact the rate of purchases in-app, with the immediate response option likely to drive more impulse purchases, particularly during livestreams.
5. TikTok Adds Legacy Account Options
TikTok has added a new legacy account setting, which will enable users to choose what should happen to their account when they die. The option, now available in the app’s account settings, will enable users to either nominate another user to look after their account, or have their profile deleted.
To deactivate an account, TikTok requires that the removal request come from a family member or other legal representative. This will generally require proof of connection and a death certificate to action such requests. These settings could provide some assurance to users that their information will be handled as they choose.
6. TikTok May Influence Teen Eating Behaviors
A new study found that TikTok may significantly influence what teenagers are eating, based on the frequency and type of clips that promote food products.
According to the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota and published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, TikTok plays a key role in showcasing food trends and influencing teen diets. The study was based on feedback from four focus groups of 25 students aged 15 to16 years, from a Midwestern high school in the U.S. Though the scope is somewhat limited, the results could point to the value of food promotions in the app and the influence that TikTok can have over consumer decisions.
7. TikTok Launches Newsletter to Share Creator Insights
TikTok has launched a new Substack-based newsletter that will showcase creator stories and insights to help maximize content impact. Called The Creator Cut, the newsletter will share insights directly from creators, with a specific focus on using TikTok Live to connect with audiences.
TikTok said the newsletter will provide a platform for creators to share stories, tips and tricks focused on how to maximize TikTok presence and connect with a live audience. Despite being known for short-form video, livestreaming has been a big focus for TikTok as the platform works to create a more engaging and habitual user experience. In China, the local version of the app, Douyin, has seen big success in driving shopping behaviors through livestreams, which TikTok has sought to replicate, with varying levels of success.
8. X Offers $175K for Grok-Generated Versions of The Odyssey
X is inviting creators to generate their own interpretations of Homer’s The Odyssey using its latest Grok Imagine artificial intelligence tools.
The competition has seemingly sprouted from X owner Elon Musk’s personal ambition to create an alternate version of the story, due to his dislike of Christopher Nolan’s recent interpretation. As a result, X is now offering cash prizes to users who can generate the best depiction of Odysseus’ adventure using its AI tools. The winning video will need to be between 3 and 5 minutes long, and include at least 1 minute of dialogue in English. In January, X awarded a $1 million prize for the most popular X article of the month, as part of a push to get more long-form content flowing into the app. X also offered a $1 million prize for the best Super Bowl ad generated by Grok, with the winners then used in an X promotion.
9. LinkedIn Adds AI-Powered Event Highlights
LinkedIn wants to help marketers maximize the value of their live event streams by introducing artificial intelligence-powered recommended clips and chapters for live event video recordings, which will automatically highlight the best parts to re-use and showcase.
The recommended clips composer will be added to LinkedIn’s event management tools, offering a separate section of highlights chosen by LinkedIn’s system. The event host can then select highlighted clips from the right-side mini window, and extend or shorten each segment as they see fit. The process will also generate chapters within longer recordings, making it easier for viewers to skim through replay videos and find the most relevant segments. LinkedIn said recommended clips and chapters are now available to all users globally.
10. LinkedIn Says 1M people Have Reported AI Slop
LinkedIn Chief Product Officer Hari Srinivasan has revealed that in its first two weeks, the option was used by more than a million people. At the same time, the platform has also sought to highlight the actual purpose of this option and what happens when users report “seems like AI Slop.”
Importantly, LinkedIn clarified that reporting AI slop in the app doesn’t necessarily mean that content will see less distribution as a result. When a user reports content using the AI slop option, that will only impact what they see in their feed, and won’t necessarily impact overall distribution of a post in the app. So, while a user who reports content will likely see less from that creator, the overall performance of a post won’t be impacted unless a lot of LinkedIn users report the same concern.
11. New Zealand Introduces Teen Social Media Restrictions
New Zealand is the latest nation to introduce a ban on social media usage among young teens. The government’s new Online Safety Bill would require “high-risk social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to take reasonable steps to check users are over the age of 16.”
The nation joins a growing list of regions seeking to implement teen social media restrictions, following Australia’s lead. The various limitations are designed to protect teens from potentially harmful exposure and reduce the impacts of overuse. Around the world, multiple jurisdictions are considering or have implemented teen social media bans, with varying levels of impact.
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of this week’s Social Media Buzz. We’ll be back next week with more news and updates for you from the social media world. Till then, stay tuned!
If you want to read more on the latest developments taking place in the social media space, take a look at ClickInsights’ Social Media Buzz, wherein we bring to you monthly reports on everything going on in social media, ranging from platform updates to policy changes that influence the way we market.
Comments