We Are Social Asia’s Tuesday Tune Up

hannahcurrey

Elon Musk strikes deal to buy Twitter
It was the hot topic dominating the social world last week. The board of Twitter has agreed to a $44bn takeover offer from Elon Musk. Musk, who has more than 90 million followers on the platform, first made the offer around two weeks ago. Speaking of the deal he said, “Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.” What this means for the future of the platform is currently unclear, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating across the social sphere.

Meta releases quarterly report
The daily active users on Facebook grew to 1.96 billion in the first three months of the year, according to Meta’s quarterly report. The company’s reported total revenue for the quarter was $27.91bn, with this news sending shares up 13% in after-hours trading. Speaking of the results, Zuckerberg said “this is laying the groundwork for what I would expect to be a very exciting 2030,” referencing the company’s venture into the metaverse.

Snapchat unveils Director Mode and Dress Up feature
Creativity is getting a boost on Snapchat, with the platform launching a new feature called Director Mode. Director Mode is aimed at providing easier access to Snap’s native creative tools for publishing video on its platform. Included in these tools is a new Dual Camera that will allow users to record both the front and back-facing cameras at the same time (a popular feature on the app, BeReal). Also announced by the company at its annual Creator Summit is a Dress Up feature, that will allow users to try on outfits through the platform’s AR lenses. You’ll be able to share images of you in your brand new look to your mates before deciding whether to fork out the cash for the clothing.

YouTube is testing ads on Shorts
Ads are heading to Shorts, YouTube’s short-form video offering. According to Google, YouTube’s Shorts is generating 30 billion daily views, four times the amount of views since this time last year. This would mean a juicy opportunity for advertisers who are wishing to reach the Shorts audience. The company has unveiled that they’ll be specifically experimenting with app-install ads and other promotions. Watch this space.

Snapchat releases flying selfie drone, Pixy
Selfie-taking has just got a glow-up thanks to Snapchat’s latest release, a little yellow drone named Pixy. Described as a ‘free-flying sidekick’ the gadget allows people to take selfies without a selfie stick (which let’s be honest, are not the height of sophistication). The Pixy operates on its own, taking video as it flies, which is then wirelessly transferred and saved in the app. Pixy is only currently available in France and the US, where drone laws are more lenient than in other countries.

WhatsApp to debut Communities
Community is king and WhatsApp is jumping on board this notion with its latest feature. Communities will allow WhatsApp users to bring separate groups together, sharing updates to the entire community as well as organising smaller discussion groups. Tools include larger voice calls with up to 32 people, file sharing, admin delete and emoji reactions. Rolling out over the next few weeks, Communities hopes to make it easier for large groups to communicate with one another. Perfect for keeping in contact with your neighbours, or perhaps the other parents at your children’s school.

YouTube expands tipping feature
More creators are about to get cash on YouTube as the platform has expanded its tipping feature. Super Thanks was introduced last year, but now the feature is open to all eligible YouTube Partner creators in 68 countries. YouTube has introduced a range of ways creators can monetise interactions with fans. Super Chat allows livestream audience members to pay to have their comment pinned, whilst Super Stickers allows creators to make money when fans purchase cartoon character stickers. Ker-ching!

Snapchat is adding new assistive devices for Bitmoji avatars
Wider representation is coming to Bitmoji avatars. Users can now add a hearing aid in a variety of colours to their avatars and there are now more wheelchair poses available. This is an improvement on the platform’s manual wheelchair stickers that were released last year following feedback from users. These stickers have been shared more than 30 million times, highlighting how people want to see themselves in more parts of the platform.

Ones to watch
Instagram is testing pinned grid posts.