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 take a look at some of the most significant developments from the last week in the world of social media.
1. LinkedIn Adds New ‘Person’ and ‘Page’ Link Stickers to Improve In-App Engagement
LinkedIn has added ‘Person’ and ‘Page’ variations, thereby, providing more ways to drive more traffic with your LinkedIn posts. In addition to the original link sticker, which let you paste a URL of your choosing on top of the frame, you can now also link to internal profiles, which could help to generate more in-app engagement.
2. New Report Finds that Facebook and TikTok are Approving Ads Containing Political Misinformation
A new investigation by human rights group Global Witness, in partnership with the Cybersecurity for Democracy team at NYU, has found that Meta and TikTok are still approving ads that include political misinformation, and are in clear violation of their stated ad policies.
In order to test the ad approval processes for each platform, the researchers submitted 20 ads each, via dummy accounts, to YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. According to the report summary, the ads submitted clearly contained incorrect information that could potentially stop people from voting – ‘such as false information about when and where to vote, methods of voting (e.g. voting twice), and importantly, delegitimized methods of voting such as voting by mail’.
3. Instagram Officially Announces New ‘Creator Portfolio’ Showcase Option
Instagram has officially announced its coming ‘Creator Portfolio’ option, which will enable creators to build what’s essentially a media kit type package, in order to showcase their audience reach, as well as previous brand work.
Creators will soon be able to build their own portfolio from the Professional Dashboard in the app. The process will guide creators in building their pitch to brands, with a view to securing more influencer marketing deals.
4. LinkedIn Adds New Accessibility Features, Including Auto-Captions on Videos
LinkedIn has announced a range of new updates to improve accessibility for LinkedIn users. Firstly, it’s adding auto-captions for video content, providing another way to maximize inclusion with LinkedIn content. So, now when you upload a video clip, you’ll have the option to activate automated captions. Auto-captions can be added as soon as they’re available, or you’ll be able to review them before they’re published.
LinkedIn users will now also be able to turn on high contrast when watching videos on the LinkedIn app, which will adjust the colors to improve accessibility for those with low vision or visual disabilities. LinkedIn also says that there’s been a significant increase in the number of job postings with ‘accessibility’ in the job title, and as such, it’s now moving to provide more recognition for accessibility roles within the app.
5. Instagram Adds New Safety Features, Including Improved Blocking and New Pop-Up Alerts
Instagram’s added some new safety tools to give users more control over their in-app experience, including advanced user blocking, automated Hidden Words to protect people from offensive replies, new negative engagement prompts and more.
Now when you block someone, you’ll also have the option to block other accounts they may have or create, making it more difficult for them to interact with you on Instagram. Instagram’s also expanding its ‘Hidden Words’ feature, which blocks certain terms of your choosing (or it can be activated automatically) within DMs and comments. Any comments/DMs including these block words are then moved to filtered folders instead.
6. Snapchat Announces New Features for Snapchat+, Including Custom Story Expiry Options
Snapchat’s adding some new elements to its Snapchat+ subscription package, which offers a range of add-on elements in the app for the low, low price of $US3.99 per month.
Firstly, it’s adding Custom Story Expiration for S+ subscribers, which will enable S+ users to set Snaps on their story to expire after one hour or up to one week. The option was spotted in testing earlier this month, and it could be an interesting enhancement for your Snap engagement process.
Snapchat’s also adding custom notification sounds, with S+ subscribers able to set different tones for different friends, so that they can tell who Snapped them without looking at their phone.
7. Meta Announces New Tools for Facebook Groups at Communities Summit 2022
Facebook has announced a range of new group features as part of its sixth annual Communities Summit event, including new Stories sharing tools, view-only chats, custom member profile displays, and more.
Facebook Group members will also soon be able to share a public event for their community to their Instagram story, providing another way to showcase engagement opportunities and attract more group members.
8. TikTok Launches New ‘StemDrop’ Music Remix Initiative
TikTok has launched ‘StemDrop’ initiative which will provide TikTok users with the opportunity to remix a new song, and create their own version of the track. Music stems essentially enable you to listen to individual elements of a song in isolation - melody, instruments, bass, and drums. That can be helpful for recording covers with your own vocals, building customized versions for specific usage, remixes, etc.
And now, TikTok’s looking to facilitate a new stem remix process in the app, providing new ways to engage with music, and facilitate all new music interaction among TikTok creators.
9. Pinterest Provides New Music Option for Idea Pins, Including Tracks from Popular Artists
Pinterest has added new music options for their Pin creations, including tracks from some of the world’s biggest recording artists and stars. This means that now, when creating your Idea Pin, you’ll be able to choose from a range of popular tracks to add as an accompaniment to your content.
Pinterest has also announced an expansion of its royalty-free music library, through a partnership with 7Digital, while it’s also working with Rumblefish to facilitate music metadata and license management services.
10. YouTube Announces New Ad Options, Including ‘Moment Blast’ and Expanded Audio Placements
YouTube has announced three new ad options as part of its Advertising Week New York showcase, including ‘Moment Blast’, which enables advertisers to better highlight their offers to Connected TV viewers and new audio ad options to connect with viewers listening to YouTube content.
YouTube’s also expanding its audio ads globally, including podcast targeting, providing more ways for advertisers to reach engaged audiences in the app.
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of this week’s Social Media Buzz. We’ll be back next Monday 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.
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