July Social Media Update Week 2 and Week 3

Facebook

Facebook is still facing scrutiny surrounding the political ads, while platforms such as Twitter have banned any political ads, Facebook is standing firm despite ongoing calls for the platform to change its approach to political content. 

That platform has also launched a new hosting system for music videos.

Read full stories:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-weighs-ban-on-political-ads-in-the-days-leading-into-the-us-presid/581442/

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-launches-new-hosting-system-for-music-videos-which-could-give-fac/581633/

YouTube

YouTube has undergone a huge drive recently to provide creators with more data to drive their content creation.

YouTube is adding a RPM (Revenue Per Mille) metric to its analytics which will make it easy to see how much a creator earns per 1 000 video views. 

As a creator you can also see other videos your viewers have watched, which can help you to identify types of content that your viewers may be interested in that are relevant to your channel.

The platform is also testing immersive product experiences such as live stream display formats, immersive display and even AR beauty try-on!

Read full stories:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-adds-new-rpm-metric-to-help-creators-better-understand-monetization/581354/

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-adds-data-on-other-videos-your-viewers-have-watched-and-new-audienc/581634/

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/youtube-continues-testing-immersive-product-experiences/374177/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=daily-newsletter&utm_campaign=daily-newsletter&mc_cid=a538ddfd4c&mc_eid=d70183f3d5

Instagram

You can now Pin comments to the top of posts on Instagram.

Instagram has added new tools to help IGTV creators manage how their content appears when it's listed in the main feed, and within the Discover tab.

Don’t be alarmed if you see your in-app buttons moving around on Instagram, they are finding the right place to put the new shopping tab feature as they roll out the next phase of Facebook and Instagram Shops.

Read full stories:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-gives-all-users-the-option-to-pin-post-comments/581190/

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-provides-new-options-to-manage-how-igtv-previews-appear-in-the-ma/581355/

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-launches-test-of-new-shops-tab-with-selected-users/581165/

Twitter

Some of the largest celebrity and brand Twitter accounts were hacked on Wednesday, 15th July 2020, this is particularly concerning with the looming US Presidential elections coming up.

Read full story:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/several-high-profile-twitter-accounts-hacked-in-massive-security-breach/581705/

Pinterest

Pinterest has introduced a real time ranking algorithm for home-feeds which it describes as controlled distribution. This aims to diversify the type of content being served on users’ feeds.

Read full story:

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/pinterest-algorithm/374416/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=daily-newsletter&utm_campaign=daily-newsletter&mc_cid=15d3ec5872&mc_eid=d70183f3d5#close

Tiktok

TikTok has released a transparency report amid concerns around Tiktok’s potential data-sharing obligations as a Chinese based company.

However, this hasn’t stopped the looming threat of uninstalls as countries begin looking to ban the platform altogether and we see a massive surge in Vine downloads.

See full stories:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/amid-more-questions-about-data-sharing-tiktok-releases-latest-transparency/581347/

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/byte-the-second-coming-of-vine-is-seeing-a-surge-in-downloads-amid-debate/581458/

Snapchat

Snapchat is currently testing brand profiles which will provide features for brands to connect with Snapchatters. 

See full story:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/snapchat-adds-brand-profiles-as-it-looks-to-expand-its-business-appeal/581689/