We Are Social Asia’s Tuesday Tune Up

Tuneup
hannahcurrey

TikTok adds new editing tools
More creative control is coming to TikTok users, with the app adding new tools that allow people to easily adjust clips, sounds, images, and text. The new features permit TikTokers to stack, trim and split video clips, whilst also speeding up or slowing down the pace of the content. Sounds are also getting a glow-up, with users now able to cut, trim and set the duration for sounds. TikTok is also dipping its toes into photos, with a new Photo Mode feature allowing users to share carousel posts of images that automatically display one after another. These new tools are now available to most users globally. Let’s get creative.

More ads are coming to Instagram
There are plenty of ads on the gram, often seen when scrolling through your feed. Now ads are heading to the Explore homepage, meaning you’ll see an advert mixed amongst other recommended Instagram posts. However, ads will include a ‘sponsored’ label to make it clear that it’s not your average Instagram post. It doesn’t stop there, however; ads are also heading to profiles, with the app testing advertisements in the stream of photos you scroll through on someone’s profile. This will only be the case for ‘non-teen, public profiles’. This will bring new opportunities for targeting for businesses but is bound to cause a bit of a headache to users who want to navigate the platform ad-free.

Twitter’s letting you combine photos, videos, and GIFs in one tweet
You can now stuff even more content into one tweet, as Twitter is introducing multimedia tweets. Users will now be able to combine text, photos, videos, and GIFs in a single tweet. To use the feature, you’ll need to tap the photo icon in the tweet composer, and then add the media of your choice. The content will show up side by side or in a grid-like format, depending on the number of images, GIFs, etc. you add.

YouTube launches Personal Stories shelf
YouTube hasn’t always been the most reliable of sources when it comes to health queries. The platform is working to combat this reputation by adding personal stories in search results when users enter health-related topics. When people search for videos of certain health conditions on the app, it will now show a panel featuring videos from people who are diagnosed with those disorders. This aims to allow people to better understand complex things in a digestible way. At launch, the Personal Stories section will show videos related to cancer and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Later, the feature will cover other topics and other regions outside the U.S.

Twitter prompts users to stop screenshots
We’ve all taken a screengrab of a tweet to share with a friend, but Twitter now wants you to stop with the screenshots and start using its share function. When you take a screenshot on the app you may see a pop-up that asks you to share the tweet rather than taking a photograph. Sharing has its benefits for Twitter, directing people directly to the app and enabling them to become a part of the full conversation. Screenshots don’t allow people to interact with the platform, so it’s no surprise that Twitter is doing everything it can to persuade users to get their friends and family involved.