Facebook reports little behavioural change following its data scandal
Despite weeks of questions, congressional hearings and the #DeleteFacebook campaign trending for days, Facebook’s VP of Global Marketing Solutions confirmed this week that the platform has “not seen wild changes in behaviour” and that reports are showing that users on the whole still haven’t updated their privacy settings. Facebook has also confirmed that it is not expecting to see any major drops in revenue or changes to its business model. While additional regulations around using consumer data to target them with ads on social platforms could be on the horizon, Facebook has also denied concerns that any such laws “might lead users to opt out of targeted ads and cause a drop in that revenue stream.”
Google overtakes Facebook for driving traffic to publishers
Facebook previously managed to take over Google when it came to driving traffic to publishers’ content online, but the search engine has taken back its crown as data shows the social network has sent 25 percent less traffic to publishers this year. At the start of 2018, Facebook drove nearly 40 percent of publishers’ external traffic (now at 26 percent) and Google, which started the year at 34 percent, now generates 44 percent of traffic. Elements such as Facebook’s recent News Feed algorithm update, the grown of native video on the platform, and Google’s AMP (accelerated mobile pages) feature are all being credited for the change.
Instagram launches Focus portrait mode for photos and videos
After recently confirming it was testing the feature, Instagram has finally rolled out its Focus mode for portrait videos and pics – outdoing rival, Apple by offering the new mode to a wider range of phones than Apple’s existing feature. The new mode “blurs the background while keeping someone’s face sharp for a stylised, professional photography look” and can be found in the Instagram Stories format options. Along with this update, Instagram is also rolling out Mentions stickers – following recent testing – to all iOS users, allowing them to tag a friend in a Story with a stylised graphic instead of plain old text.
Instagram tests ‘Nametag’ codes to promote accounts Instagram is looking to launch Nametag, a new feature which would enable users to create their own customised Instagram code which, when scanned via the app, would instantly connect users to that account. The ‘new’ offering will function in a similar way to Facebook’s Messenger Codes or Snapchat’s Snapcodes and in the future, could even offer businesses the potential to create product codes. Instagram has yet to confirm a full roll out.
Facebook adds more new tools to Stories
Despite a continued lack of user interest, Facebook is pushing ahead with Stories by rolling out another set of new features. The first is a new tool which will enable users to create three dimensional, hand-drawn objects and fix them into place in the virtual environment. While this is similar to Snapchat’s World Lenses feature, Snapchat’s offering limits users to defined objects whereas Facebook’s incarnation adds an additional creative offering by enabling users to create their own. Facebook is also adding an Instagram-style Boomerang feature to allow users to create repeating videos on the platform. Facebook has confirmed both features will be rolled out to all users in the coming weeks.
