July 15-2024: A Recap of What Happened in The Digital Space Last Week

Hello there,

Want to stay ahead of the curve on social media? This week's newsletter is packed with updates and insights to help you dominate your social media presence.

In this issue: LinkedIn rolls out sponsored newsletters and an AI-powered campaign tool. Instagram prioritizes short-form videos, and Meta unveils new features for Instagram and WhatsApp. Podcasters rejoice, Spotify launches comments! It also covers news on TikTok, Starlink internet, and more!

LinkedIn

Have you been thinking of getting a wider reach for your company newsletter articles? Well, LinkedIn is gradually releasing sponsored newsletter articles.? LinkedIn says Sponsored newsletter articles currently only support the brand awareness and engagement campaign objectives. Member-authored newsletter articles can't be sponsored but this capability will be available in a future release.

LinkedIn is officially rolling out its own AI campaign tool known as Accelerate. The tool recommends an end-to-end campaign and automatic optimizations to reach the right B2B audience

X/Twitter

• X has added a search button on Bookmarks. Currently, it is available on the Web and iOS.

• The X new dislike/downvote button is only intended for replies

• X Grok's image generation feature is coming soon!
• You can now gift Premium subscriptions to your friends and favourite creators!
• X is working to provide a free trial for the Premium subscription

X shared Q2 2024 Usage

??361.9Billion seconds are spent on X - up +8% over the same time last year.

??570M people come to X every month, up +6% year over year.

??There were approximately 8.2B daily video views in Q2, up +45% year over year.

Meta, Instagram, WhatsApp

• Meta has started to provide support over the phone for Meta Verified subscribers
• Meta shared tips on how to avoid paying Apple fees on ads
• Instagram is working on a new sticker that allows you to collect photos from viewers that you can share to your story
• Instagram now allows crossposting for broadcast channels with your Facebook broadcast channel linked to your account
• Instagram added a new "Content lowered in feed" feature in account status to show if your content has been moved lower in your followers' feeds
• On Instagram should you post short videos or long videos? Head of Instagram. Adam Mosseri said #Instagram prioritizes short-form videos over long-form videos. He explains that long-form videos are less symbiotic "You see less content from friends, you interact with your friends less, and you’re actually less likely to send that content or that video to a friend" Of course, they want you to explore more content on the app and your time usage on the app

??Takeaway: Do more short-form video content on the app, Instagram algorithm will favour your content

• WhatsApp is adding a new groups safety feature known as Context cards. This feature will give you more information about a group if you are added by someone you don’t know, and it will make it easier to exit and report a suspicious group.

TikTok

Big Brands Reduce TikTok Ad Spending Ahead of US Removal "If TikTok is indeed going to be exiting the U.S., then brands, logically, will need to look elsewhere in future, and as such, they may well be hedging their bets now, and shifting away from TikTok promotions ahead of a broader change."

TikTok launched a new marketing campaign in partnership with TeamGB and ParalympicsGB that shares the incredible stories and journeys of athletes and highlights how they use TikTok to inspire others.

Snapchat

Snapchat added some new personalization options for Snapchat+ subscribers, including custom, Sims-style houses on the Snap Map, new ways to engage with your digital pets, rapidly expiring Snaps, and more.

Social Media Stats

The World’s Most Popular Social Networks by Visual Capitalist

??Facebook is the most popular platform with 2.9 billion monthly active users worldwide followed by YouTube, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram

??Meta owns four of the five most widely used platforms.

??Over 4.5 billion people around the world who use some form of social media—about 57% of the global population.

YouTube

Last week, YouTube Revenue numbers were not showing in YouTube Analytics since July 10. YouTube Creators posted on Monday that the issue had been resolved.

Spotify

Spotify is no longer just a streaming app but it's now shaping up to become a social network with the launch of the Comments tab on Spotify for podcasters early this week

"Listeners will be able to leave a comment on the Spotify mobile app, while creators can manage feedback both on the all-new Spotify for Podcasters mobile app and on the web."

On the comments tab, podcasters can:

?Approve, like, and reply to comments that are ready for your review

?See published comments sorted by your most recent episode

?Delete or report comments and block users

?Enable or disable comments for your entire show or specific episodes

In 2021, they introduced? Q&A feature

Internet

Elon Musk's satellite internet announces that Starlink Mini is now available in US? for as low as $50/month with maximum speeds of 100Mbps. It's hardware goes for $599

??Starlink Mini can fit a backpack ???

AI

Microsoft and Apple ditched OpenAI board seats amid regulatory scrutiny. OpenAI switches to stakeholder meetings instead of board seats for its closest partners.

Note: Microsoft has invested more than $10 billion into OpenAI, in a deal that made Microsoft the exclusive cloud partner for OpenAI.?

Mobile Phones

Samsung Electronics unveiled Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6 in Kenya at the #SamsungUnpacked event on July 10, 2024.

小米科技 has built a Smart Factory that is 100% autonomous meaning it will operate fully without humans. Xiaomi invested 2.4B yuan in the dark factory and it will produce 10M flagship smartphones annually. Xiaomi's upcoming foldable phones, the MIX Fold 4 and the MIX Flip will be a product of the smart factory.

Here is the video of Lei Jun CEO, Xiaomi explaining the Smart Factory

I hope you found these updates informative and inspiring. Stay ahead of the curve by subscribing for weekly insights delivered straight to your inbox! Subscribe now!

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If you have any hot takes, industry insights, or partnership ideas, don't hesitate to reach out! email at [email protected]

See you next week!