Instagram Updates

Instagram is testing a Notes feature
Disappearing content is a key feature on platforms like WhatsApp and Snapchat, and now Instagram is getting on board, testing a new feature called Notes. Notes allow users to post quick ramblings or announcements to their ‘close friends’ circle or to followers who also follow them. It works like a sticky note, with the content disappearing after 24 hours. Currently in testing, it’s thought that Notes will be able to be up to 60 characters in length. Watch this space for notable Notes updates.

Instagram is testing a new age verification tools
Don’t look a day over 18? Well, that may be an issue, as Instagram is testing a new set of features designed to verify ages when people claim to be over the age of 18. Currently being tested in the US, video selfies, vouching from adult friends and providing an ID are all new ways that users may be able to verify their age. There are two basic use cases for this new verification system: adults who have registered as teens by mistake and trying to enter their correct age; and teens who are trying to circumvent the platform’s age-appropriate restrictions.

Instagram Shares Tips on How to Use Reels

“Since its introduction on Facebook and Instagram, Reels has grown to become a treasure trove of entertaining, imaginative and educational video content from around the world. Reels is the ideal place for brands to get discovered on the global stage, to express themselves with more creativity and fun, and can play a powerful role in crafting compelling narratives that drive excitement, engagement and awareness.”

Tips to create engaging Reels

• Nail the hook in your Instagram Reel
• Get creative with transitions on your Reels
• Sync your music. Don’t underestimate the power of using sound to grab and retain the audience’s attention. Reels is already the biggest engagement growth driver on Instagram.
• Stay in touch with the latest, and use the newest effects on Reels.
• Partner with creators to tell your brand story in new and fresh ways. Collaborating with influencer voices drives more engagement, authenticity and awareness.
• Instagram Reels is a place where authenticity thrives, so create Reels that are true to you and that reflect your brand values.

Source: Facebook

Twitter partners with Shopify

E-commerce is continuing to step up a level on Twitter, with the platform now partnering with Shopify to launch a sales channel app. The app allows Shopify merchants in the US to onboard themselves to Twitter’s Shopping Manager. Shopping Manager is the dashboard where sellers can access product catalogue tools, as well as enable other shopping features for their profiles. After linking their Shopify and Twitter accounts, merchants can use the new app to sync their product catalogues to Twitter.

Elon Musk’s Team Asks for More Data to Complete Assessment of Twitter Bots

This comes after Musk questioned Twitter’s claim that bots and fake accounts make up only 5% of its active user base, and said that his Twitter takeover deal could not go ahead unless Twitter could produce more evidence to support this figure.

7 Tips to Grow Your Audience on Every Social Media Platform

• Repackage and repurpose
• Steal like an artist
• Trends are your friend
• FAQs can be content
• Get social on social
• Collaborate everywhere
• You need a newsletter

Snapchat Officially Launches its New ‘Snapchat+’ Subscription Program

As explained by Snap:

“Today we’re launching Snapchat+, a collection of exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features available in Snapchat for $3.99/month.  This subscription will allow us to deliver new Snapchat features to some of the most passionate members of our community and allow us to provide prioritized support.”

And also, make more money, which is a key concern for Snap, which has been hit hard by recent economic shifts, particularly in Europe, leading to reduced ad spend in the app.

Could TikTok be in for another legal challenge in order to remain in operation in the US?

It seems that the heat could be rising for the app once again, with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr publishing an open letter that calls upon both Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores due to TikTok’s ‘pattern of surreptitious data practices’, which specifically relates to how it shares data with its Chinese parent company.

As per Carr:

“TikTok is not what it appears to be on the surface. It’s not just an app for sharing funny videos or memes. That’s the sheep’s clothing. At its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data.”

Care notes that TikTok tracks a range of data inputs, including search and browsing histories, keystroke patterns, biometric identifiers, draft messages and other metadata, while it can also access text, images, and videos that are stored on a device’s clipboard.

Back in 2020, with the introduction of iOS 14, TikTok users noted that the app was tracking their Clipboard content, with the new iOS notifiers showing that TikTok was accessing the Clipboard every few seconds. Amid various questions around why it would need to do so, TikTok then said that it would remove from this element from the app – but still, the fact that TikTok was disingenuously sucking in more user data underlined concerns that it is indeed being used to glean maximum insight on its users. And with parent company ByteDance beholden to the CCP, under China’s controversial cybersecurity policies, the concern remains that TikTok could inadvertently be used as a surveillance tool in every market that it operates.