Issue #2 - Writing this whilst watching Friends
Welcome to ‘What’s The Point?’. The newsletter from PinPoint.
Twitter is the new Vogue to social media platforms because apparently now grey is the new blue. Now that Twitter is planning on with the ‘go-ahead’ of the $8 verification for a blue tick, a new grey tick will be introduced as well. From now on when you go to find a business on Twitter, let’s say Lego, you will now find a blue and a grey tick…Like this:
Elon Musk didn’t realise till late that if anyone can buy a blue tick, anyone can be official, hence the role out of the grey tick. Elon Musk also claims that any other accounts that could be seen as impersonation and don’t have the word 'parody' in the account then these accounts can be terminated. This happened to an unfortunate comedian whose account got banned after impersonating Elon Musk. Within this crazy world of Twitter X Elon Musk, the news is slowing down a bit in the sense of technical changes however that might be because Musk has his hands wrapped around firing his workers.
Sidenote: Checking the next day, the grey ticks had actually disappeared from the accounts I saw it on. Elon must've changed his mind!
To read more have a look at these articles:
??Twitter Previews New ‘Official’ Gray Checkmark as it Prepares to Launch its $8 Verification Plan (Social Media Today)
?? Elon Musk bans Twitter accounts that impersonate others - as comedian falls victim to new rule (Sky News)
?? Elon Musk U-turn: Twitter CEO 'kills' grey tick update hours after launch (Britain's News Channel)
On another more funnier piece of social news Doja Cat couldn’t change her Twitter handle back to her name but can you guess what she changed her name to? Christmas! She then later called upon Elon Musk for help, after cursing at him in a tweet beforehand. Doja Cat has been very vocal in the past about issues that bother her and in recent days she has been vocal about the $8 verification plan, mocking those who will pay for one.?
To read more have a look at these articles:
So it’s here! The big news that covers Instagram. Instagram scheduling. It feels like we’ve been discussing this for a long time! So now that Instagram is allowing this for professional accounts, dead of the days where managers are having to wait up and post. TechCrunch reports that it will allow users to post content such as images and reels 75 days ahead. Would you like it to be further in advance? I understand beggars can’t be choosers but 75 days doesn’t seem like an awful lot baring in mind how some businesses like to plan ahead when it comes to posting content. On the other hand 75 is over 2 months worth of content and if we think about it… that’s a lot of content. No one is quite sure when or if Instagram scheduling will come to ‘normal accounts’ (or as Musk calls them peasant accounts) but it's a great start and a great start for brands to experiment with engagements at different times.
To read more have a look at these articles:
??Instagram Lets Users Schedule Posts & Reels In The App ? (Search Engine Journal)
This isn’t the only news Instagram has unveiled this week. Now when anyone that changes their age from under 18 to over 18 must show proof. You would think that Instagram would follow in the footsteps of Tinder and ask users to upload an image of some ID however this isn’t the case. Instagram have decided to get users to upload a video using software, as referenced by the BBC news article, called age-estimation technology.?
This image shows what America has offered to users when having to verify their age. In their case they can include the traditional uploading of the ID and asking others to verify you. In regards to these verifications, I think it’s about time. Now that over a decade has passed and social media plays in everyone’s life one way or another it’s about time we started getting serious about safeguarding issues.?However, I'm sure there will be ways of overcoming the technology but we need to remember it is another step in the right direction.
To read more have a look at these articles:
Snapchat
Snapchat is one of those social apps that we don’t really hear from each week. Maybe every other week they’ll have some news and with Christmas around the corner I’m sure they’ll have some amazing, impressive update that I will be able to talk in great depth about. Currently the big news for the social app is its connection with Strava. If you’re not aware, last week Strava and Snapchat announced their collaboration. Strava is an app that allows users to track their physical exercise and be able to share with their friends on the app. Snapchat X Strava have now made an AR collaboration and to say the least I’m not surprised. In order for users to share their exercise, this will be carried out via the use of a Lens. Like this…
Social Media today suggests “ With over 100 million registered Strava users, the new integration will help provide additional exposure potential for Snap’s tools, which could also, importantly, play a part in helping Snap increase its appeal to older audiences.” To which I agree to some extent however, some may think well all of my friends that I have on Snapchat would only be the same ones on Strava so what’s the point of getting a Snapchat account? It's times like this where I think Snapchat need to stop trying to get an older audience and work on what keeps their current audience interested in the app. It won’t be long before TikTok starts adding features similar to Snapchat to then make the social platform really obsolete.?
To read more have a look at these articles:
??Snapchat Launches New Integration with Strava, Enabling Users to Showcase their Fitness Activity (Social Media Today)
??SnapChat and Strava (Strava Support)
??Get Active With Strava’s New Lens on Snapchat (Snapchat Newsroom)?
It seems to be no secret that Snapchat is heading into more focused AR developments than anyone else but that is the world we’re going into so, many Snapchat isn’t as obsolete as we think. Personally, when it comes to AR filters Snapchat has the best whereas platforms like Instagram and Facebook haven’t really got the upper hand. For example Amazon and Snapchat have collaborated in order for users to start visually seeing whether products work or don’t work on oneself.
To read more have a look at these articles:
??Snap-Inc.-November-2022-Investor-Newsletter.pdf (Snapchat investor newsletter)
(more article links included in the newsletter)
??Amazon Fashion, Snapchat partner on AR eyewear shopping lenses (Retail Dive)
??Snap and Amazon Fashion Partner to Create a Seamless AR Shopping Experience (Snapchat newsroom)
TikTok
Move out the way pop, rock and hip hop. Classical music is back and even better, it's trendy! TikTok UK announced via their newsroom on the 4th November 22 that they have launched #classicalmusic to help bring to light all the classical musical players and lovers who may feel a bit neglected on the platform. Can you blame them though? Especially with all that rap rubbish that finds itself popular on the platform. TikTok likes to pride itself on making sure everyone feels welcomed on the platform and with the rise of terrible music on TikTok, maybe this is a subtle hint that classical music should be introduced into younger audiences. The idea obviously needs a star to be at the center point of this campaign. Although he may not be your everyday influencer but in the world of classical music, he is. Introducing Hans Zimmer who has also been at the forefront of some TikTok challenges before. Hans’s role in this campaign included putting together a classical music playlist however he states in a video that he “can’t help it” and put some film music in there as well.
To read more have a look at these articles:
?? Classical Music reaches a crescendo on TikTok with Hans Zimmer (TikTok Newsroom)
?? TikTok trumpets #ClassicalMusic (with Hans Zimmer’s help) (Musically)
TikTok is now stepping up when it comes to their safety and privacy, especially with teens on the platform and it's about time. This might only be some small changes however, it's still one step further for TikTok being a safe platform for young teens. Every so often TikTok seems to come under scrutiny over their safety and what videos are being pushed on the younger generation. Despite the platform taking steps to try and prevent dangerous trends such as The BlackOut Challenge, Orbeez Shooting and the Burning Pile which has been done by several influencers that many young audiences look up too. The social platform recently held a summit in New York called the ‘Brand Safety summit’ which has now outlined a new overview of safety tools. Check out the infographic included in this link from Social Media Today. Outlining Tools for families, Mindful notifications, Privacy by default, Youth Resources, the promotion of kindness and TikTok partnering with experts.
To read more have a look at these articles:
??TikTok Provides New Overview of its Safety and Privacy Tools for Teens and Parents (Social Media Today)
The news that has hit Facebook recently is the news of the 11,000 workers being sacked. In a time where social platforms are skyrocketing, the job security for working for these social platforms isn’t so secure. It’s fine when you’re Mark Zuckerberg and have fortunes behind you and a few million down the drain isn’t an issue however for those who have lost their job, life isn’t so dandy. Common sense would only suggest that now any of the left over workers will be stressed and might start feeling overworked. 11,000 workers cut is a fair few people! If I’m being honest Facebook is one of the worst platforms out there. I go onto the site and it feels outdated and from what I can remember there haven’t been any major updates for a while, compared to Instagram where every time you go on the platform it feels as if something has changed! Anytime the news reports of Facebook its always negative so when is Facebook just going to give up? Sadly, I’m sure it will be with us for the rest of our lives seeing as its one of the major platforms and many mums and dads still use it to post about Brian’s achievements or post their embarrassing photos.??
To read more have a look at these articles:
??Facebook owner Meta to sack 11,000 workers after revenue collapse (The Guardian)
??Facebook-owner Meta to cut 11,000 staff (BBC News)
Other news
"Hey Siri"... a popular phrase which has been used since the release of the virtual assistant back in 2011 is being dropped. Well... the 'hey' bit will be dropped. All good things must come to an end. Personally I don't see the need to get rid of it. It's not like we suffer dramatically with the extra 'Hey'. According to Bloomberg, Apple have been working on this for several months and have plans to roll this change out. They also state that if they dropped the 'hey' it would match with Amazon's Alexa. To the T, these companies are copying one another. Maybe...just maybe one day we will have a company that thinks of its own original idea.
To read more have a look at this article:
Opinion of the week
"Starbucks is better than Costa Coffee"
I love coffee and my love for the hot beverage stems from a show called Gilmore Girls where the main character Lorelai Gilmore, my idol, survives on coffee. Black coffee without any milk or sugar is my go to and yes I do understand that is a bit weird but it sure does give you the hit that you need! However, we’re discussing rival store chains. Starbucks v Costa. In my mind Starbucks is the best however I am converting to Costa since recently joining PinPoint. My go to is a Frappuccino or as they call it in Costa a 'Frostino' and I will never go to any other drink whatever the weather. Even this morning I chose a salted caramel frostino for my morning drink of choice... with coffee. I think this is after many attempts of making these types of drinks during lockdown and failed miserably. I mean how do they make it look and taste so nice! In my scenario, the liquid always ended up separating and went a dodgy brown, sewage like colour. Disgusting... I know.