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. TikTok Calls on US Users to Oppose Latest Proposal to Ban App
TikTok is once again calling on its U.S. users to lobby the government on its behalf in light of the latest push by U.S. lawmakers to ban the app.
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has proposed a new bill in the House of Representatives that would essentially force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell the platform into U.S. ownership, or it would be banned from America entirely. The proposal stems from concerns that TikTok is providing U.S. user data to the Chinese government, which still poses a threat. In response, TikTok says that the proposed bill is in violation of the First Amendment, while it’s also issued a rallying call to U.S. users in the app, with this pop-up alert appearing in-stream, making it easy for users to call their House representative.
2. TikTok Launches Data Portability API To Meet New EU Requirements
TikTok is launching a new Data Portability API, which will provide another way for users to download and reuse their TikTok data as they see fit. The Data Portability API will facilitate access to a range of data elements, providing expanded options for usage.
Data portability is a key requirement of the DMA which outlines expanded privacy and data control obligations for what EU officials designate as “gatekeeper” platforms, or platforms that hold a level of control over the expanded digital market. Additionally, TikTok says that it’s also improved the speed and functionality of its Download Your Data tool, which enables both individual and business accounts to export and download their account information.
3. Instagram Launches New DM Updates, Including Message Editing and Pinned Chats
Instagram has announced some new DM features as it works to enhance the usage of messaging as the key connective element in the app.
Firstly, Instagram’s added message editing will enable you to update your DM for up to 15 minutes after sending. This is the exact same feature that WhatsApp added last year, and considering Meta’s broader plan to eventually merge all of its messaging tools into a single platform, it makes sense for it to implement feature parity across its apps. IG users will now also be able to pin up to three chats to the top of their DM inbox, so they can more easily access their most important discussions.
Instagram’s also adding the capacity to switch on read receipts for either all DM chats or specific threads, while it’s also adding new chat themes to customize your engagement. Moreover, it’s also adding a new option to save your favorite stickers in the app, which will keep them at the top of the sticker tray, making it easier to include them in your DMs.
4. X Launches Long-Form Articles Option for Premium+ Subscribers
X is taking the next steps to advance beyond its short-form content roots, with the introduction of X Articles, which is essentially a blogging platform built into the X system.
X Articles includes all the basic elements of a blogging tool, including a title and header image for your post, and various in-stream formatting options (like bold, italics, numbers lists, links, etc). Users will also be able to embed images and videos into their Articles, providing more ways to differentiate Articles from long-form posts in the app. X Articles will appear on your profile in a new Articles tab, as well as in your followers’ timeline, just like regular X posts. X is hoping that the new format will see more publishers and creators share their content directly to the app, which is what X owner Elon Musk really wants.
5. Musk Says That X Will Soon Remove the Like, Re-Post and Reply Buttons In-Stream
Elon Musk has reiterated his plan to remove the reply, like and re-share buttons from X posts in-feed, leaving only the total view count and time posted. Musk says that all of the regular post metrics will still be viewable if a user taps into an individual post. But in-feed, you’ll only see the right example.
Back in 2020, in the lead-up to the U.S. election, Twitter removed the option to retweet a post entirely for U.S. users, referring people to quote tweets instead, as part of a broader effort to combat the amplification of false reports. This worked, with Twitter later reporting that it helped to reduce the spread of false claims, though it also caused a 20% reduction in tweet sharing overall.
6. X’s New Voice and Video Calling Feature Reveals Users’ IP Address
With X rolling out its new option to make voice and video calls in the app to all users late last month, privacy advocates have noted that the new system reveals each user’s IP address whenever they make a call.
This could be a problem for X’s most vulnerable users, and with the platform also being used as a key connector for some political activists, it may also lead to major safety risks, without users necessarily being aware of it. And they’re even less likely to consider such now given Musk’s own statements on the importance of DM encryption, which X rolled out to paying users last year.
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.