As we enter another new month and winter has well and truly graced us with its presence, we’ve taken a look back at the most important social media updates that have taken place in the past few weeks. From platforms continuing to enhance e-commerce features, to stricter community guidelines – here are the latest updates in the world of social media.
To read last months post, click here.
YouTube is axing the public dislike count
YouTube is set to make ‘dislike’ counts on videos private and only visible to the creator. The platform announced the change in a blog, claiming that it was part of an ongoing goal to make the platform more inclusive through getting rid of negativity on the channel. An experiment took place earlier this year enabling users to access the dislike button, whilst the count was hidden. Results revealed that less users clicked the dislike button during this trial and so the button was removed!
Facebook tightens ad policies further
Marketers will be well aware of how strict Facebook ads already are with a breadth of guidelines already in place. But they’re set to get even stricter as the platform has announced that it will be ‘removing certain targeting capabilities’. This follows ‘feedback from civil rights experts, policy makers and other stakeholders’ who expressed concern surrounding the potential harm that could happen from targeting specific groups from particular religions, political affiliations and LGBTIA+ communities. It will be interesting to see how this could affect targeting on the channel.
Instagram launches live stream shopping
Instagram has continued to enhance it’s e-commerce offering yet again! To help shoppers find the perfect gift in the run up to the festive season, earlier this month, Instagram launched its very own version of livestream shopping. To entice users onto the platform, the feature will encourage transactions through offering exclusive items as well as highlighting independent businesses, BAME owned businesses and much more. A great move by Instagram to make shopping more accessible for consumers.
Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok launch mental health initiatives
Social media has a part to play in the role of it’s users wellbeing, even more so as it has also been in the firing line over recent years due to various revelations about its negative impacts on self-confidence and body image. In light of this, it’s great to see that platforms have been rolling out initiatives to show positive steps towards utilising social media for a good cause and to promote a more positive online space for users.
Pinterest has introduced ‘Pinterest Havens’, TikTok welcomed ‘Wellbeing Warriors’ and Snapchat celebrated ‘Club Unity’ – all of these new features offer advice and shared experiences through unique and positive content. Protecting our wellbeing and mental health is so important and it’s a welcome step to see social media platforms take appropriate action to support this.
TikTok introduce ‘mute’ to livestreams
In an effort to make the community a safer place, the platform has released updated community guidelines and one of the main features will be a ‘mute’ button for comments and conversation during a live stream. Similarly, users who post offensive comments will be prompted with an ‘are you sure’ message – apparently already causing four out of ten users to retract potential negative commentary. A step in the right direction to create a more uplifting online space.
At Prohibition, we work with a range of brands across all sectors to create engaging social media marketing strategies that allow brands to stay up to date with the latest trends and updates. Get in contact today to find out how we could help you: hello@prohibitionpr.co.uk
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