This Week in Social: November 28 – December 2

Some exciting updates in the world of social this week! Read on to learn about Instagram’s new screenshot notifications, Twitter’s latest new hire, and breaking news about possible fake news warnings on Facebook.

…Wait Will They Get a Notification?

Here’s something that we all are guilty of. You’re sitting at home on a random Sunday night, scrolling through your Instagram feed, when it hits you: the urge to screenshot. Maybe you want to remember the name of that restaurant that your friend had brunch at, maybe you like a group picture that your friend shared, or maybe your crush is looking especially good in their latest upload. Screenshots happen for different reasons, but we all take them.

Well, Instagram users went into a frenzy this week when the company announced that users will get notifications when followers screenshot private temporary messages through Instagram Direct. Disappearing messages are new to Instagram, so many people were unsure what this exactly meant, and thought that maybe users were getting notifications whenever followers screenshotted their messages, posts, or stories.

But don’t fret, internet! This is not the case. We can confirm that users only get notifications if they screenshot disappearing messages. So, for now, creep away!

Fake News Filter Hitting Facebook?

Over the past few months, Facebook has had an issue with fake news stories spreading virally across the site. Oftentimes sites that appear to be reliable news sources are not reliable at all, and social media provides these websites an avenue to spread propaganda and speculation. Some even have blamed Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s lax standards on the fake news for the results of this year’s presidential election. To combat this, Facebook is reportedly testing out warning labels that will alert users if a source may not be reliable. At the time of publication, it is unclear whether this warning function is something that Facebook is pursuing or if it’s the work of a third-party organization, but we will be sure to update you next week!

Twitter’s New Head of Product

This week Twitter announced that Keith Coleman will be the new VP of product. This move is a bit surprising, as Coleman has little experience using Twitter. In fact, Coleman has only Tweeted 143 times. But just because Coleman doesn’t use Twitter as much as others doesn’t mean that he isn’t a social media expert. Prior to his new gig at Twitter, Coleman was the CEO of Yes Inc. Along with adding Coleman to their staff, Twitter also bought Yes, Inc. and their apps Frenzy and WYD. Each app could be interesting for Twitter as Frenzy helps friends coordinate their schedules and make plans and WYD (what’re you doing) is a photo/video sharing app. Twitter has been having a rough past few months, it will be interesting to see if Coleman’s fresh perspective will lead to any major changes at the struggling social media company.

Messenger Adds Games

Ever wish that you could play games with your Facebook friends even more easily? Well, then you’re in luck! Messenger now allows you to play games through their interface! The games, which include classics like Pac-Man and Space Invaders as well as new favorites like Words With Friends, will be free to use. But why is this important? These games are available through the Messenger app and don’t require users to download additional apps.

Honorable Mentions:

• Facebook developing artificial intelligence to flag offensive live videos
• Snapchat Drops Another Spectacles Vending Machine