Research shows fewer people are using Facebook to discover and discuss news
Messaging apps such as WhatsApp have overtaken Facebook as the platform of choice to discover and discuss news with friends, the seventh annual Digital News Report has found. The new report suggests that younger users in particular are more likely to turn to WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat for news – especially in countries such as Malaysia and Turkey, where it can be dangerous to express views in more open networks. This shift can also be attributed to Facebook’s recent News Feed algorithm update, which deprioritised news in users’ feeds. Read the full story here.
Facebook launches a dedicated ‘Memories’ page
Remember that time you passed out wearing only a sock and woke up covered in explicit Sharpie art courtesy of your obnoxious housemates? Well, Facebook does. As if you didn’t already cringe at your high school status updates or unhinged uni days, Facebook has decided to unearth your past via a dedicated ‘Memories’ page. The new page is an expansion of past features such as ‘On this day’ and will be available through the Memories bookmark. The feature will also include options such as ‘Memories You May Have Missed,’ ‘Recaps of Memories’ and ‘Friends Made on this Day’ to make sure you never miss a moment you swear you’ve successfully blocked from your long-term memory. This also means we might soon be seeing a lot more of those video collages popping up in our News Feeds ?
Instagram lets users shop through Stories You can now shop from the convenience of an Instagram Story. The platform announced plans last week to add stickers with a shopping bag icon to the popular feature, which will allow users to tap the sticker to see more details about a product. The icons will first be introduced to your fave brands like adidas, Louis Vuitton, and Aritzia, but of course with plans to roll it out to the wider community over time. Currently, the social network estimates that 300 million people per day use Stories – will product advertisement deter you?
Facebook pushes consent in mobile and email targeting
The platform is adding new accountability and transparency requirements to its Custom Audiences platform, which will force businesses who upload email addresses or phone numbers to the platform for ad targeting to confirm that all info “was collected with proper user consent by them, one of their partners or both.” The new update, which will come into play from 2nd July, will also enable users to see this information if they choose to block future ads from that business. Businesses will also only be able to share Custom Audiences info with partners who they have formally connected with through Facebook’s Business Manager tool.
Twitter increases focus on live news events
Facebook isn’t the only one fighting to keep its presence in the news space – Twitter has introduced a new update that will notify users of live events it believes they’ll be interested in and present them with a curated list of the best tweets and live video streams to help keep them updated. Twitter has also announced an update to its ‘Explore’ tab to help promote these new features, so it will now include Trending (a personalised ‘For You’ tab), and more specific content areas like News and Sports. The main focus of the update will be on the new screen layout, which will see livestreams featured at the top of page, followed by a brief summary of the event along with additional features such as “recap” and “latest.” However, the platform’s Moments feature is set to remain.
Snapchat Spectacles are now available on Amazon
Learning from their past million-dollar mistakes, Snapchat has taken a more traditional sales route to help promote the second generation of Spectacles – announcing last week that they would now be available for customers in the US, UK and Canada to purchase from Amazon. This second generation of Spectacles feature a waterproof design (you’re welcome, surfers), a smaller charging case, and trendier colours.
Snapchat now lets users delete messages
The new (and long-awaited) feature, which is set to roll out globally over the next few weeks, will see Snapchat users finally be able to delete messages they’ve sent to friends or in group chats. To delete a message, users will simply need to hold down on the message until an option menu comes up and select ‘delete.’ However, you’re not entirely in the clear – the other person will still be notified that a message was sent and deleted.
LinkedIn adds carousel ads for sponsored content
Get ready to see more sponsored content while scrolling for new jobs! The social network for your work life has introduced carousel ads to its suite. The feature will be similar to those offered on Facebook and Instagram, and brands will be able to include up to 10 cards per carousel ad, each with a customisable message option. They’ve also added sponsored video ads. These exciting formats have attributed to a 37% increase in revenue for LinkedIn this quarter, and while over 300 businesses took part in the BETA trial, the offering is now open to all businesses.
YouTube launches Music and Premium in 17 countries globally
YouTube is taking its music service global, as it announced earlier today that it would now be available in 12 additional countries including the UK and Canada. This means the service now covers “the bulk of Western Europe, plus Russia and Canada” and well as the US, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South Korea.
Facebook activates text animations for the World Cup
You can flaunt your Aussie pride in your newsfeeds now that Facebook has activated some pretty fancy animations when typing specific keywords. This feature is just one part of a whole trick bag of soccer savvy celebrations on the platform including augmented stickers in Facebook Camera as well as some cool AR effects… Note that I said AR effects and not VAR effects. Check out the full list of animated keywords here.
Goodbye IHOP, welcome IHOb
If you’ve ever road tripped the US, chances are you’ve spent a dodgy $7 on a 3 am all-you-can-eat pancake deal from The International House of Pancakes. After observing a decline in pancake popularity and an increase in #burgerporn, the company (lovingly known as IHOP) flipped the ‘P’ to a ‘b’ to announce they would be diving buns first into the burger business. And competitors flipped faster than a pancake on an open flame.
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