Preparing for Q4 social media campaigns? Planning for 2024 already? Catch up with the latest updates that you need to be aware of in our social media round-up below.
Instagram introduces broadcast channels
Instagram users across the UK have noticed the introduction of Instagram ‘broadcast channels’ following a flurry of notifications as creators rush to hop onto the feature.
These channels allow creators to send direct messages to their followers. An initial follower-wide notification is sent to encourage users to join (hence the recent uproar!). Followers must accept to join the channel, creating a self-selected dedicated audience. Similar to existing features on Whatsapp and other sites, users can read and react to these messages and vote in polls, but they cannot respond.
This feature is mainly designed with content creators/influencers in mind. It’s unclear how this feature will play out in terms of sponsored/gifted content, but this could prove a great way to access a small group of likeminded users directly and intimately.
Meta removes news
Meta is updating the Facebook News feature across Western Europe, starting this December. The new policy will see Meta deprecate Facebook News, a dedicated tab for news content on the social media site, in the UK, France, and Germany, representing some of the largest parts of the European market.
Not to worry, this is not a blanket ban on press– news will still be available on the website from the Facebook Newsfeed, and news outlets and publications can still share their content on the site.
X insists tweets are now posts
X has updated its terms of service to remove any mention of twitter or tweets. Users are starting to see pop-ups about new terms that go into effect on September 29th, and one adjustment is two instances of ‘retweet’ (the only use of ‘tweet’ in the current terms) to ‘repost’, essentially hammering the final nail in the coffin of twitter terminology.
This may mark the time to start referring to X as exclusively that, with the elaboration ‘the platform formerly known as Twitter’ proving a well-established mouthful in broader media, and client meetings.
TikTok launches AI labels
After testing them out with selected users over the past few weeks, TikTok is now officially launching its new in-stream labels for AI-generated content, which will provide an extra level of transparency in the app.
TikTok will now require users who’ve used AI to create a post in the app to flag it as such, or risk having their content removed if they fail to do so. In a world of deepfakes and ChatGPT, transparency around AI will be welcomed by most users, helping mitigate some of the more sinister consequences of AI.
However, this does mean that some of the more shocking AI PR stunts may lose some of their wow-factor. Just ensure you correctly label creative AI content moving forward, to prevent a content culling and maintain audience trust.
LinkedIn updates follower transparency
LinkedIn has rolled out an update allowing company pages to see which other pages are following – this was previously not visible.
To access this feature simply: Go to your LinkedIn Company Page and click ‘Analytics’. Click on the ‘Followers’ tab then select the ‘Pages’ button.
This insight will be invaluable in helping spot potential clients, and competitors.
At Prohibition, we work with a range of B2B and B2C 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.
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