We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #579

Mashup
hannahcurrey

Instagram launches chronological and ‘Favorites’ feeds for all users
You asked, and Instagram delivered. The platform has made a chronological feed available to all users, meaning you’ll be able to see posts in the order that they’re published. Instagram has also added a ‘Favorites’ option, allowing you to see posts just from your fave accounts; users can select up to fifty profiles that they want to regularly see content from. However, don’t throw a funeral for the algorithm quite yet, as the algorithmic feed will still be the default setting, with users having to opt in to switch up their settings. 

Twitter’s DM search gets an upgrade
Twitter’s DM search is delivering on the details with its new upgrade. You can now search through the content of your conversations and return specific messages that contain whatever keyword you type in. Previously, you could only use it to search for people’s names or the names of group chats. Now the limit does not exist, so you can find that niche reference within a matter of minutes. 

Instagram expands its product tagging feature to all US users
Product tagging is expanding its reach beyond creators, with the feature being rolled out to everyone in the US over the next few months. All users will be able to tag products from businesses that are set up for Instagram Shopping. This will make it easier for people to discover products from people they follow and for businesses to grow their audience on the channel. To tag a product in your post, you’ll need to select a photo or video, add a caption and then select the ‘Next’ button. Tag a brand first to see the option to tag products and voilà, happy tagging. 

Twitter allows you to make a GIF from the iOS in-app camera
GIF geeks, this one’s for you. You can now make a GIF right from Twitter’s in-app camera on iOS. This will allow you to share short clips to your timeline without having to endure the pain of uploading a full video. To use the new feature, hit the new tweet button, tap the photo icon, then the camera icon, ensure you’re on GIF mode and then hold record.

LinkedIn adds newsletters
Want to keep your LinkedIn community up to date with all your professional achievements? Well, now you can with the introduction of newsletters on the platform. With LinkedIn’s newsletters, all of your Page followers receive an automatic, one-time notification every time you create a new newsletter. You can also share your content outside of the company’s platform to increase viewership. Once your newsletter is up and running, you can create a community of opt-in subscribers that receive on-platform and email notifications whenever new content is published. And guess what, it’s totally free!

YouTube to start streaming free TV shows with ads
Free TV is making its way onto YouTube. You’ll soon be able to watch thousands of free TV shows, as long as you’re willing to sit through ads during the programme. This is YouTube’s latest move in taking on major competitors. By offering free TV on demand, the platform is hoping that users will be sticking to the channel, rather than exploring alternative streaming options elsewhere. Shows being made available include Hell’s Kitchen and Heartland, with YouTube expected to add up to 100 shows every week.

WhatsApp starts rolling out emoji reactions in Android beta
😯 🙌 😱 👏  WhatsApp emoji reactions are coming to over two billion users on Android. Rather than replying with an average ‘great’ or a dull ‘hilarious’, users can now respond with one of six emojis: thumbs up, heart, crying, laughter, shocked face, or folded hands. To send a reaction, hold down on a message, and the emojis will appear. When the feature will roll out to iOS users isn’t yet clear, but it’s sure to not be far behind.

Ones to watch
Twitter has been spotted working on making TweetDeck a premium feature through its Twitter Blue subscription service.