Social Media Buzz Weekly: Roundup of Social Media Updates

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 Activates Threads Crossposting From Facebook and Instagram

https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/22/how-to-cross-post-from-instagram-and-facebook-to-threads/

Meta has allowed users to cross-post from both Instagram and Facebook to Threads, so they can effectively amplify their updates across all three apps at once.

Meta’s been testing out Threads crossposting, in various forms, over the last few months, and now, it’s available to all users, though you have to switch it on within your post settings proactively. So you can now more easily amplify your updates across each platform all at once, within certain parameters.

2. Meta Expands Profile Connections for Business Suite

https://followerbar.com/meta-expands-profile-connections-for-business-suite/

Meta is rolling out a new update for Meta Business Suite (aka “Creator Studio,” aka “Business Manager”) which will enable you to connect more profiles to your account so that you can easily switch between them when managing your Facebook and IG presence.

Now, you can link up to 10 profiles to your Meta Business Suite account, so you won’t need to log out and back in to manage the business Pages connected to each. Users have always been able to add multiple business Pages under a single business portfolio in Business Suite, but this relates to adding other profiles that you may have, or have access to, and which then have their own access privileges for other Pages.

3. Universal Music Announces New Licensing Deal with Meta

https://www.reuters.com/technology/universal-music-meta-expand-music-licensing-agreement-2024-08-12/

Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced that it’s updated its music licensing arrangement with Meta, which will enable Meta to use its artists’ music in more ways in its apps.

A key element of the new deal, UMG says, is the provision of new regulations around unauthorized AI-generated content which could impact artists and songwriters. Meta and UMG have had agreements since 2017, back when Meta was Facebook. That agreement allowed users to upload videos and content using music from UMG on platforms like Instagram and Oculus to address copyright infringement issues.

4. TikTok Establishes New Deal with Amazon To Facilitate In-App Purchases

https://martechvibe.com/article/tiktok-establishes-new-deal-with-amazon-to-facilitate-in-app-purchases/

TikTok has struck a deal with Amazon that’ll enable TikTok users to make an Amazon purchase in-stream, without having to tap through to the Amazon app or website.

Amazon’s new partnership with TikTok will facilitate more direct integration between the two apps. Pinterest has also signed up to a similar arrangement with the commerce giant, though only TikTok has made an official announcement as yet. Now, when TikTok users see Amazon product recommendations within their “For You” feed, they’ll be able to make a purchase then and there, which is facilitated by linking your TikTok profile to your Amazon account, through a secure, quick, and easy one-time set-up.

5. TikTok Files Latest Motion To Oppose US Sell-Off Bill

https://mediapract.com/news/latest-motion-by-tiktok-to-oppose-us-sell-off-bill/

TikTok remains determined to fight the U.S. Government’s attempt to force it into a sell-off, with the company filing its latest legal opposition to the bill.

In its latest legal filing, TikTok, and parent company ByteDance, have labelled the bill “the most sweeping speech restriction in this country’s history.” This seems extreme, but TikTok is maintaining that the sell-off bill is tantamount to a ban, because the stated parameters and requirements would be impossible for TikTok to cater to before the bill is set to come into effect. Essentially, TikTok’s argument is that the law is not based on demonstrable evidence, but only on the perception of a threat from a “foreign adversary”.

6. TikTok Maintains Steady Growth in EU Users

https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2024/08/tiktok-keeps-growing-its-userbase-at.html

Amid reports that TikTok’s growth has slowed significantly, which has seen the app resort to cash incentives to get more creators across, the latest EU usage numbers for the app show that it’s still gaining more users, at a steady rate.

As per the requirements of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), all large online platforms need to share their European active user counts every six months, providing oversight into their ongoing reach. And last week, TikTok shared its latest update on the average amount of monthly actives that it saw between February and July this year. According to TikTok, it served 150 million EU monthly active recipients in the period. That’s up from the 134 million it reported in August last year and the 142 million that it reported in February, with the app growing in the EU at a stable pace.

7. Nepal Lifts Its Ban on TikTok Imposed for Disrupting Social Harmony

https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/nepal-tiktok-ban-lifted-b2600696.html

Nepal’s government has decided to lift the ban it imposed on the video-sharing app TikTok last November for disrupting “social harmony”.

The decision to lift restrictions was made by the government during a regular cabinet meeting Thursday, the state-run National News Agency quoted Information Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung as saying. The agency also said that it was under the initiative of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, who issued a directive saying that all social networking sites should be treated equally. The previous government had imposed the ban on TikTok in November last year, saying it was necessary to regulate the use of the social media platform because it was disrupting social harmony, and goodwill and diffusing indecent materials.

8. Venezuelan Leader Slams TikTok for ‘Wanting Civil War’ in His Country

https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2024/08/14/venezuelan-leader-slams-tiktok-for-wanting-civil-war-in-his-country

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused TikTok of seeking to stoke civil war in his country after the Chinese-owned company blocked live-streaming services on his account.

Maduro claimed the app suspended his access to the short-video platform until August 19. The Venezuelan leader said he received an automated message from TikTok justifying the suspension by accusing his profile of “promoting violence”. In response, Maduro alleged that the platform was promoting “violent protests” carried out by his opponents. This is the second time Maduro has spoken out against the social media platform.

The Venezuelan leader claims to have won the country’s presidential election held on July 28 against opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez and has repeatedly criticized foreign apps for spreading allegations of fraud.

9. Instagram Looks to Add Screenshot Blocking for Temporary DMs

https://drunkonsocial.com/instagram/instagram-considers-adding-screenshot-blocking-for-temporary-dms/

Instagram is looking to provide more assurance for temporary message senders, with a new feature that would block screenshots of temporary DMs.

The app is considering implementing screenshot blocking for all DMs exchanged in “Vanish Mode,” or when “View Once” is active for content. Originally added back in 2020, Vanish Mode is essentially IG’s version of Snapchat messages, with users able to set their messages to self-destruct as soon as the recipient leaves the chat. Users can also set their images and videos to “View Once” in IG DMs, through which you can also allow replays or not if you choose.

Instagram has long had a feature that alerts the creator when a recipient has taken a screenshot in these modes, which acts as some form of disincentive and transparency. But disallowing it completely is a much more definitive measure, which could be particularly beneficial for younger users.

10. Instagram Launches Live Test of Friend Map Location Sharing

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/9/24217027/instagram-snap-map-style-feature-testing

Instagram has launched a live test of its new “Friend Map” feature, which can display the location of your friends on a dedicated display in the app.

Instagram’s new “Friend Map” is designed to enable your friends to see both where you are and where you’ve been, with any posts and/or Stories that you’ve tagged with a location then added to the map display. You’ll also be able to add Notes to any location or place so that you can give your friends feedback and insights based on your experiences. This could provide more capacity for engagement and interaction, though IG is also being cautious with the update, given the potential privacy concerns.

Instagram says that the Friend Map, which is currently in testing with a small group of users, will only be available to share with those on your “Close Friends” list or your mutual follows in the app. Public location sharing and content tagging will not be an option with the feature. That’s the same as Snapchat’s Snap Map, and in theory, at least, that should counter some of the main privacy concerns. Though there’s also not much that IG or Snap can do if someone mistakenly adds a friend who then happens to be a predator, and who can then inadvertently access a user’s location in the app.

11. Snap and Meta Prepare to Showcase AR Glasses

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/21/24224862/meta-snap-ar-glasses-orion-spectacles-zuckerberg-spiegel

Snap and Meta are reportedly preparing to showcase their respective AR glasses, which will eventually bring digital overlays to the mainstream.

According to media reports, both companies are planning to provide demonstrations of their AR glasses next month, though they won’t be made available to the public just yet. Meta’s AR glasses reveal has long been rumored, but it’s been unclear exactly where Snap is in its AR development. While Snap has had working prototypes of its AR glasses with selected developers for some time, recent cost-cutting at the company has seemingly impacted its capacity in this respect.

Both companies have been developing their AR projects for some time, with Snap initially leading the way with its Spectacles, which it first launched in 2016. Like Meta’s Ray Ban’s, the current consumer version of Spectacles enables users to record video via their glasses but does not include AR overlay capability as yet. But Snap has been building towards that since 2017 when it added “World Lenses” that transform IRL scenes.

12. X Rolls Out Advanced Analytics to Premium Subscribers

https://thrivesearch.com/x-rolls-out-advanced-analytics-for-premium-subscribers/

X has rolled out its updated Audience Insights tab for X Premium users, which now includes a range of new elements, including info on your audience’s age, gender, and country of origin, among others.

X has not only added new analytics features but it’s also updated the chart formats, making it easier to use the data provided by gleaning relevant notes. There is also insight into active user times of your audience, so you can better plan your posting process. Many of these insights have been available via third-party apps for some time, but X is finally making the effort to build its own, official data tools, to assist in strategic planning.

13. LinkedIn Launches In-Feed Video Carousels

https://www.socialmediadissect.com/linkedin-launches-in-feed-video-carousel-feature/

LinkedIn has been introducing a new feature over the past few weeks, focusing on video content through in-feed carousels of video clips. These carousels offer a wide, side-scrolling view of video clips tailored to your interests based on your in-app activity and profile details.

LinkedIn’s new video carousels provide you with an expansive, side-scrolling display of video clips. The videos shown are algorithmically matched to you, based on your in-app activity and noted profile details, and tapping into any of the displayed clips then takes you through to LinkedIn’s TikTok-like full-screen video feed, presented in vertical format. LinkedIn launched this new feed in March, as part of its effort to lean into evolving content trends.

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.