We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #570

Mashup
hannahcurrey


Instagram launches creator subscriptions test in the US
It’s official. Instagram Subscriptions are being tested with a small group of ten US creators. More people than ever are placing value on digital content and creators, and this feature allows creators to offer their followers paid access to exclusive Instagram Live videos and Stories. Subscribers will also receive a special badge that will help them to stand out in the comments section and creators’ inboxes. Also testing paid subscriptions is TikTok, with the creator market set to make real money from these new features.

NFT profile pictures are now available for Twitter Blue subscribers
NFT nerds got a real treat last week as Twitter unveiled its new feature that allows Twitter Blue users to use non-fungible tokens as their profile pictures. You’ll be able to differentiate an NFT profile image from an average picture, as they’ll be framed in a hexagonal shape. Users will be able to tap on the image in order to view more information about the digital art. This is a big move from the platform, highlighting their intentions to become ‘the social network for the discovery, conversation and education around NFT, blockchain and crypto technology’.

Instagram now allows creators to ‘remix’ any public videos
Calling all creators! You can now remix any video content on Instagram, not just short-form Reels. Any videos that are published publicly are up for grabs, but they have to have been posted from now onwards. If you’re planning on getting creative with existing content, think again, old videos will not work with this new feature. If you’re remixing a non-Reels video, you’ll still have access to Reels’ set of creative tools, including Collabs, Voiceover, Effects and Audio Tools. Happy remixing!

Snapchat to limit friend suggestions for teenagers
Fewer friends are to be suggested to teens on Snapchat, in a bid to prevent contact with strangers. Kids aged 13 to 17 will now only receive recommendations that have a ‘certain number of friends in common with that person’. How many friends you’ll have to have in common is currently unclear, but this is the latest move from Snapchat in ensuring the safety of young users on the app. It comes after the platform announced plans of adding new parental control tools, marking a crackdown on teen security.

Twitter Communities now work on Android
Android users, listen up. Twitter is rolling out its Communities feature to Android users worldwide. Twitter Communities is a rival to Facebook Groups and Reddit, but up to this point has only been available to iOS or web users. This update will open the feature to a lot more of Twitter’s user base, as they can now easily join, request to join, or participate in Twitter Communities. However, the feature is still invite-only for those wanting to create their own private community. 

Messenger Kids rolls out new internet safety games
Who knew internet safety could be so much fun. Meta is educating children on how to stay safe online, launching new activities on its Messenger Kids platform which will let them practice  “making healthy decisions online”. ‘Rough Reviews’ teaches kids to recognise kind and unkind behaviour, becoming familiar with tools like blocking and reporting. ‘Order Up’ teaches players about how to read people’s emotions online. 


YouTube will stop making most original shows
YouTube is saying goodbye to the majority of YouTube Originals, which produced content including scripted series, educational videos, and music and celebrity programming. Originally launched in 2016, its content was focused on scripted shows and movies centred on creators. Now, the company will only fund originals in the YouTube Kids Fund and the Black Voices Fund, which has committed $100 million to ‘amplify’ Black creators on the platform.