Full Fat's Weekly Digital Bulletin - 10/03

Bringing you the freshest insights, app developments, and trends sweeping social media platforms across the country, so you can level up your strategy and ensure you’re always ahead of the curve.

This week we see heaps of developments from Meta, from video-length updates to new reel templates. Age verification over socials continues to be a big talking point, and do we spy a new platform from Twitter? Read on for more…

Food for thought:

1. Instagram Expands Age Verification Tools to More Regions Instagram is furthering its attempts to keep its platform as safe as possible. So far, Meta has seen “96% of teens who’ve attempted to edit their birthdays from under 18 to 18+ stopped from doing so”. Do you think this is enough??
2. Gail Porter and Corrie star team up with Samaritans to remind public that small talk can be lifesaving In a bid to boost the public's confidence in small talk, a no filters cafe was opened in Manchester for Samaritans ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ campaign. The charity found: “only 50% of UK adults said they would feel confident approaching and speaking to someone they don’t know if they were concerned about them in public”. The pop-up cafe asks visitors to pay for their morning coffee with a good chat, promoting how human connection can save a life.?
3. Glastonbury’s all-male headliners reveal a UK music industry in crisis The latest Glastonbury lineup announcement was met with disappointment and criticism after it was announced that all three headliners would be male. In a week that celebrated International Women’s Day, the announcement comes as a massive step back in the music industry. 48% of the 54 names on the lineup are female, should one of these acts be moved to the headline spot??

Extra, extra! Read all about it:?

1. Meta Says That its Automated Ad Targeting Tools Have Driven a 32% Increase in ROAS Meta’s automated advertising seems to be working well, with a 32% increase in ROAS, driving better performance for brands. Some advertisers aren’t as keen and find that it takes advertising control out of their hands and they may not be able to reach the right audiences. Where do you stand?
2. TikTok Adds New Audio Options for Brands via ‘ Sounds for Business’ Tiktok are making it even easier for businesses to post on the platform. The short video app has partnered with a subsidiary of Universal Production Music to introduce audio options for brands to enhance clips and participate in popular trends.?
3. Is TikTok Removing Its Watermark? Finally, users can download clips without a watermark! Spotted by a user on the channel, you can now save your videos to post across other platforms without the annoying watermark. Content creators of the world breathe a sigh of relief!

Have you seen this yet?:

1. Meta Adds New Features for Facebook Reels, Including Longer Clips and Memories Integration Facebook has announced even more updates, from an expanding length limit to new reel templates for memories. It is now even easier to create short-form videos on Meta platforms, we can't wait to get over sharing our memories!
2. TikTok Implements New Usage Limits for Teen Users, Adds More Parental Control Options Tiktok has introduced usage limits for teens and increased parental control. The introduction of sleep reminders, time limits and family pairings is an effort to face recent scrutiny, after multiple countries have considered banning the app, including the US. Is this a move in the right direction to prevent a widespread ban, or is TikTok just cramping our style??
3. Twitter alternative Bluesky Social is now in the App Store Blueskys social, an alternative to Twitter is now available on the app store! BUT, you need an invite. This exclusive new platform comes after months of uncertainty over the future of Twitter and looks… exactly like its sister platform… we’re on the edge of our seats.?

For any suggestions on what you’d like to see included in next week’s bulletin, or to talk all things digital, just drop us a line. Have a great weekend!