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 Is Developing a Search Engine to Power Its AI Chatbot

https://www.mindshareworld.com/austria/news/weekly-prompt-metas-building-an-ai-search-engine-and-other-news

Reports have emerged that Meta is looking to build its own search tool for Meta AI, in order to reduce its reliance on Google and Microsoft’s Bing for web searches within its AI chatbot.

There are a couple of potential angles to the news, but it seems like Meta is looking to expand its data-gathering process in order to continue to build more powerful, real-time AI data tools. This could result in a broader Meta search tool, powering real-time insights for its apps. This could have particular value for Threads, in providing up-to-the-minute notes on evolving news stories to complement engagement in the app.

2. TikTok Launches Updated ‘TikTok Academy’ Marketing Education Platform

https://www.exrich.org/tiktok-introduces-enhanced-tiktok-academy-marketing-education-platform/

TikTok has announced an update to its TikTok Academy education platform, with a range of new and refreshed courses to help you get a better handle on the ins and outs of your promotional options in the app.

TikTok first launched its TikTok Academy platform back in 2022, with a range of courses to help improve your TikTok fundamentals. It launched a selection of new courses and elements in June last year, and now, as we head into the holiday season, it has updated the curriculum once again, with various new additions and updates. TikTok’s marketing education curriculum is split into five streams, with a range of insights and elements factored into each.

3. TikTok Announces Activations for Cybersecurity Awareness Month

https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/cybersecurity-awareness-month-at-tiktok

TikTok has shared some new cybersecurity tips for Cybersecurity Month, while it’s also putting a spotlight on creators who help to raise online safety awareness, and outlining its ongoing efforts to detect system vulnerabilities.

First off, TikTok has shared some key tips to help keep users safe online to mark the event. Some key tips to avoid common vulnerabilities, and ensure that you remain cybersafe in your online engagements. TikTok has also invited users to contribute to its global cybersecurity community, which it’s also looking to highlight for Cybersecurity Month.

TikTok has also provided new insight into the success of its bug bounty program, in partnership with ethical hacking collective HackerOne. TikTok has been working with HackerOne for four years, which, along with its bug bounty initiative, has also seen it get involved in various IRL events designed to connect security communities.

4. Instagram Adds DM Filters to Assist Creators

https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/01/instagram-upgrades-dms-with-focus-on-creators/

Instagram has added some new messaging filters for creators accounts, which will make it easier to sort through your message requests, and find the most relevant inquiries in your inbox.

Creators will now be able to sort and filter their message requests via various qualifiers, including re-ordering them based on the sender’s follower count, listing DMs from verified accounts only, from brand accounts only, from other creators, and more. There’s also a new, dedicated “Story replies” folder, which will make it easier to scan through your actual messages, as opposed to Story replies. That should make it easier for creators to manage their often cluttered inboxes, and get to relevant requests, especially brand collaboration queries.

5. Snapchat Launches Snapchat+ Gift Cards in Retail Stores

https://reindeersoft.com/news/snapchat-expands-availability-of-snapchat-gift-cards-at-amazon-target-and-walmart

Snapchat is making another push on Snapchat+ subscriptions this holiday season, by partnering with Amazon, Walmart and Target to sell Snapchat+ gift cards in store and online.

Snapchat made the same push last year, launching Snapchat+ gift cards via Amazon only. Yet, even with just one retail partner, that still saw Snapchat+ memberships rise from 5 million in September, to 7 million by end of Q4, meaning that its subscriber base rose by some 40% in the period. Snapchat+, which is now up to 12 million total members, has become a handy supplementary income stream for the app, as it continues to re-shape its revenue intake.

6. Snapchat Will Begin Shipping AR Spectacles to EU Developers

https://web.swipeinsight.app/posts/snap-expands-spectacles-to-europe-developers-in-six-countries-can-now-apply-12197

Snapchat has announced the next stage of its AR Spectacles project, with developers in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain set to get their hands on the new device for early testing.

Snapchat unveiled its AR Spectacles in September at its Partner Summit, where it also announced that approved U.S. developers would be able to start experimenting with the device. And now, EU developers will also get their chance, with approved partners to pay a monthly fee to access the current model of the device.

7. Reports Find Community Notes Is Failing To Address Misinformation on X

https://fortune.com/2024/10/31/x-community-notes-fact-checks-us-election-misinformation/

The Washington Post has published a new report which suggests that Community Notes are largely failing to address misinformation on the social media platform X.

The report is based on the Post’s own research, as well as a new report from The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), both of which suggest that Community Notes’ requirement of securing agreement from reviewers of opposing political viewpoints is hampering the project. The nonprofit CCDH analyzed the Community Notes feature and found that accurate notes correcting false and misleading claims about the U.S. elections were not displayed on 209 out of a sample of 283 posts deemed misleading — or 74%.

The CCDH also notes that posts with misleading claims about the upcoming U.S. election identified within its data set have been viewed in the app more than 2.9 billion times.

8. LinkedIn Retires Celebratory Post Templates

https://blog.savvytree.digital/latest-updates/linkedin-removes-celebration-post-templates/

LinkedIn has announced that it’s removing a range of its templated posts, those celebratory post types in the app that include lightly animated graphics of varying kinds.

While the pre-designed templates offered a quick and easy way to celebrate occasions like work anniversaries, promotions, and new job roles, they often lacked the personal touch that many users desired. LinkedIn’s decision to remove these templates is a strategic move to encourage more authentic and personalized sharing.

9. LinkedIn Tests Advanced AI Assistant for Recruiters

https://www.fastcompany.com/91217698/linkedin-ai-will-help-match-recruiters-to-top-candidates

LinkedIn’s latest AI update is a new Hiring Assistant tool for recruiters, which will enable HR managers to automatically generate a short list of LinkedIn users who look like a good match for an advertised role. 

This means that  you’ll no longer need to impress actual human recruiters in order to get an interview, you’ll need to appeal to AI-based systems, which will be scanning your profile and application data for relevant elements, that will then see you recommended (or not) for the job. LinkedIn’s new assistant can also schedule interviews, take notes, and manage follow-up, so you can spend less time on admin, and more time on maximizing training and integration into the team.

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.