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, Snap, and TikTok Agree to New Election Integrity Guidelines
With the U.S. Election fast approaching, Meta, Snap and TikTok have joined several other technology companies in signing on to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) new Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines, which outline agreed expectations and processes for companies working to “advance election integrity and increase trust in the information ecosystem”.
The agreement will see the platforms working towards a set of established principles by enacting election security and integrity measures, which will provide enhanced transparency across different regions. Google and Microsoft have also signed up to the new accord. With each region having different rules around information sharing and political process, it’s difficult for tech platforms to come up with universal parameters to ensure protection across all nations. This new agreement aims to improve the shared approach to voter protection, while also facilitating knowledge sharing and cooperation on such between the major providers.
2. Meta Offers To Halve the Price of Its Ad-Free Subscription Package in the EU
Meta’s offered to cut the price of its ad-free subscription package in Europe, amid complaints from privacy activists that the company’s looking to force users to pay in order to ensure their privacy, which, they claim, is not in the spirit of the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (D.M.A.).
In order to comply with the D.M.A., which requires that social platforms offer users a means to avoid sharing their personal data, Meta had announced a offering that enabled users to restrict their personal data, and get an ad-free version of the app instead, at a cost of $US10.88 per user, per month. But privacy campaigners say that Meta’s proposal undermines the G.D.P.R. and its protections against data capitalism. In order to lessen this resistance, Meta has now offered to halve the cost of the program to the equivalent of $US6.50 instead.
3. Instagram Launches Ads With Promo Codes To Entice Purchase Activity
Instagram has launched its new “Ads with Promo Codes” option to all brands globally, providing another consideration for your IG campaigns.
Now, Instagram advertisers can entice potential shoppers with promo codes listed in the caption, which can then be applied in the checkout process. That’ll provide another way to drive sales from your IG promotions, while also giving you another way to track IG sales direct, based on the promo code entered.
4. Instagram Updates Hashtag Search To Broaden Discovery
Instagram has made a change to the way that hashtags facilitate discovery in the app, with users now connected through to the broader search results related to a hashtag when they tap on it, as opposed to a “Top Posts” feed.
Now, when you tap on a hashtag, you’ll see the full search results for that topic, as you would see in Explore. This is a change from the “Top Posts” display, which is what Instagram shows you when you tap into a tag at present. You can still follow a topic via the tag page, but you don’t have the full results (e.g. Accounts, Audio, Places, Reels) that you would get via a similar search in Explore.
5. Snap Launches Sponsored AR Filters as New Ad Option
Snapchat is launching filters as an ad option, with brands now able to sponsor AR filters in the app, which users can then add to their posts.
Snap’s sponsored filters enable businesses to create branded overlays for images, which can include links back to their promotion. The appeal of this is that it’ll take less effort to enact a sponsored filter, as opposed to a full AR experience, with brands able to upload existing assets and create Filters from a variety of existing Snap templates.
6. X Tests New Search Filters for Hiring
X (formerly Twitter) continues to refine its X Hiring elements, with the platform currently working on new job-level filters, along with other search parameters to streamline discovery.
X is adding role seniority filters, along with company name search, role type (remote or on-site), and more. The filters will bring X Hiring more into line with LinkedIn, and other job posting sites, enabling more relevant discovery within the app. X Hiring has emerged as one of the most successful additions to the platform under Elon Musk, with over a million open roles now being displayed in the app.
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.