WE ARE SOCIAL ASIA TUESDAY TUNE UP #360
By Lee Ai Yun, Benn Tan and Monisha Kishin
Twitter-addicts rejoice! Retweets just got an upgrade.
You can now express yourself further by adding a photo, video or GIF to a Retweet, instead of only text. This new feature went live today on iOS, Android and Twitter’s mobile website.
It may be a small update but it has the potential to significantly increase the amount of media that’s shared on Twitter. Now, you’ll likely experience a sizable increase of the amount of non-text content as you scroll through your Twitter timeline.
Twitter is clearly moving away from their original goal of offering a sort of public SMS-type platform. From live streaming video from users to audio broadcasting to doubling the character limit to 280 back in 2017, it shows that Twitter intends to make the platform more media rich and engaging for its users. By doing so, could increase users’ time on Twitter, which then helps to boost ad revenues.
Do you have a secret crush? Facebook wants to help you out!
Facebook has now announced a new feature on Facebook Dating called “Secret Crush”, allowing you to tell a friend how you really feel about them. Users can choose up to nine friends on the social platform whom they are interested in and in turn, those friends will get a notification that someone they know has a crush on them. If they add you to their list as well, you’ll both be matched. Of course, this function only works if both parties are using Facebook Dating. If your crush doesn’t, or haven’t added you to their list; then they will just never find out. Facebook dating is currently available in 19 countries worldwide, with rollout in the US taking place by the end of 2019.
SparkNotes — Evolving from the ultimate no-nonsense study buddy to a meme master
SparkNote is known for its collection of comprehensive, accurate, and useful guides to classic and contemporary lit. Many students get their schoolwork done from this site, but now they get high-quality entertainment too.
SparkNotes’ Twitter and Instagram accounts seek to combine education and entertainment — posting literary memes that find perfect parallels between classic works like Macbeth, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, and Frankenstein, and present-day pop culture favorites like The Office, Parks and Rec, and more. Their social media channel has since become a source of some of the internet’s most thought-provoking memes.
The meme approach has been working wonders for SparkNotes. Their social media accounts evoke a deep sense of community — an online space that isn’t so isolating, rather a place where bibliophiles, television enthusiasts, and meme lovers can all come together and geek the hell out. There’s really something for everyone.