July 8-2024: A Recap of What Happened in The Digital Space Last Week

Welcome to this week's newsletter!

Here is a recap of what happened in the digital space that you need to know

Digital Activism in Kenya

For the last three weeks, Kenyans have been using social media platforms for digital activism; to demand better and working systems in Kenya. Last Friday, things were even different.

Kenya's President William Ruto hosted the first X Spaces in a bid to dialogue with the youth amidst GenZ protests that rose due to calls to Reject Finance Bill 2024. The President's account had glitches and he had to co-host with a user known as @Osama_otero and moderated by Hussein Mohamed, StateHouse Spokesperson, Executive Office of the President.

X analytics shows that over 1.3M people tuned in.

Here is a post I wrote before the online conversation happened.

Along those lines, I shared my two cents on Business Daily Africa 's article on "How firms can ride on X Spaces to net masses"

X (Formerly Twitter)

• X will soon launch X TV, a video-viewing app for smart TVs.

• X will now let you see engagements on the new analytics page

Meta: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp

• Facebook is testing a new feature for both videos and Reels posted on the platform, “Clear mode”, which will hide all video controls and action buttons.

• Meta changed AI labels From ‘Made With AI’ to ‘AI Info’ Tag
• Meta is rolling out broadcast channels to pages with over 10K followers
• Threads hit 175 million users after a year
• Threads added a birthday party hat for users. You can enable it by creating a post with the tag “Threads birthday”.
• WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to forward messages and media on WhatsApp Channels to everyone
• WhatsApp's new feature will let Meta AI edit your photos for you. Meta AI will also be able to answer your questions about your photos.

TikTok

• TikTok implements restrictions on ads targeted at teens, and new AI disclosure requirements to ensure that teen user data is not being exploited by advertisers, who could use this to influence their thinking.
• TikTok now allows users to upload custom thumbnails for their videos.
• TikTok has now added an option to save videos without a watermark?

Google, YouTube

• Soon, YouTube will enable creators to remove copyrighted music from videos, preserving their voice and regaining monetization, offering more control over content and revenue streams.

• YouTube will finally let you upload custom thumbnails for playlists
• YouTube expanded Channel @Handles to 75 Languages

• Google Photos hits 10 billion downloads on the Play Store

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!

I'm also always looking to collaborate with fellow digital marketing, social media, and tech enthusiasts. 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!