What’s new in social: November 2021
Facebook changes the name of their parent company to Meta
We knew it was on the horizon and in late October the name was announced.
So what does this mean? At the Facebook Connect event Mark Zuckerberg announced the rebranding stating that they’re a company that builds technology to connect. With people at its centre, together we can ‘unlock a massively bigger creator economy’. Some would say this is a timely rebrand given the release of the Facebook Papers in recent weeks. These revealed a trove of internal documents highlighting the impact Facebook has had on real world harm.
So, what will Meta be focusing on moving forward? The press release gives us some details…
“Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.”
While the Metaverse is a while off, there are elements available today that Facebook will be investing in. The following have been noted:
Horizon Home through the Oculus Quest headset
Messenger calls in VR
Gaming experienced in VR
Fitness through VR
Quest for Business
Presence Platform - a suite of machine perception and AI capabilities for developers
Project Cambria, launching in 2022
Spark AR Updates
Below is a look at the Oculus headset - I can’t imagine using something like this but maybe it will become mainstream before we know it, just like social media did.
Instagram has rolled out the link button to all users
On a less futuristic note, Instagram has announced that the link button is now available to all users! Gone are the days of having to wait to reach the 10k follower mark or be verified to direct traffic from your Instagram stories. We’re thrilled for our clients with smaller follower counts, and from a personal perspective, it will be fun to see how friends integrate the feature into their personal stories.
Instagram has noted that for accounts that share content violating its Community Guidelines, they will not have access to the Link sticker. This will act as a safeguard limiting misuse of the function.
“When we first introduced Stories links, the feature was limited to verified accounts or those with a certain number of followers. We’ve heard from the rest of our community that they also want to share things that matter with their friends and family. Whatever you’re into, from cooking to volunteering or shopping, you now have a space to share in Stories - regardless of your account size.”
Clubhouse introduces a replay function
Replays will be an optional feature in the platform that creators can toggle on and off. It will allow users to download broadcasts, bringing more value to audio in the platform.
“Replays are an optional feature that creators can choose to toggle on or off for any public room. When Replays are enabled, anyone on Clubhouse can replay the entire experience whenever they like. They’ll get to see the same elements of a live room like Leave Quietly, and watch the dynamic of the stage and audience shift and evolve throughout the discussion, including PTRs, mic taps, and all the special moments that only happen here.” - Clubhouse
Like chaptered YouTube videos, you will be able to skip ahead in a recording. With different speakers being ‘book marks’ per se, you can skip them if they aren’t of interest. Replays will also be discoverable within Clubhouse, you will be able to find them in club pages, speaker profiles and the search function. As the audio is repeatedly played, they will accrue cumulative total attendee counts, so you will have a full understanding of the people listening and being reached on the platform.
With Clubhouse recently adding support for 13 more languages this month, the new feature may incentivise more users to join or come back to the app in the coming weeks. This update is available on iOS and Android from this week.
Tik Tok testing new ‘Tips’ function
Some users on TikTok have seen a creator monetisation feature appear in-app recently, a new ‘Tips’ tab in their settings. The test of this feature allows some to apply to receive tips from their audience, as long as they have at least 100k followers and that the account aligns with TikTok’s platform regulations.
Initially at least, TikTok won’t be taking a cut from tips, but should they roll this out internationally we’ll see how long this good will can last. Users who have this function approved will have a new button visible at the top of their profiles:
TikTok has been working on more monetisation options in-app to compete with YouTube and Instagram that have more advanced revenue share programs. Unlike YouTube with long-form videos — the primary way to earn $$ — we will be interested to see how else TikTok will incentivise users to remain on the platform in this way through short-form video outputs.
eCommerce integration is also on the horizon as the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, has seen success incorporating brand partnership deals in-app.
We will be waiting to see whether the ‘tips’ feature is rolled out around the world and how they will continue to integrate eCommerce over the next 12 months.