Social Media updates and what they mean for you – January 19th

Another week, another bunch of changes to Twitter. Here are all the social media updates you need to know this week.

Twitter
First up, you can now get on the waitlist for their new Verification for Organisations, which is what used to be called Blue for Business. When it lands, this will give you a gold (ooo shiny) checkmark, but beyond that the benefits aren’t clear and we have no idea how much it’ll cost. Will it be worth it? Who knows.

Two small changes here – Teet reach is now on the right of your tweet metrics. And the search bar may soon account for mistypes and spelling errors. Both are great for user experience (UX) but will have little to no impact on anything. Still, it’s good to know.

In an interesting move, Twitter is now showing people more opposing political commentary in their tweet feeds, we guess the end goal is to get people out of the echo chamber. It’s interesting because Meta has repeatedly tried to address this issue before and hasn’t yet come up with an answer. In standard Musk fashion though, he’s convinced this will work *shrugs*.

If you use Twitter Blue (the subscription blue tick) you can now pay annually. Yay?

And finally, they’re scaling back recommended Tweets in the main feed because… drumroll please… people don’t like them. Are we surprised? No, no we’re not.

What does this mean for me?
Verification for Organisations could be worth it if you are in a very competitive market and need something to help you stand out against copycats. Given that we don’t yet know any details beyond the shiny gold checkmark though, it’s hard to say. Watch this space.

The two small changes are good for UX and the improved search function could be handy if you have a particularly tricky name to spell.

Opening people’s minds to other views is a good thing in theory, but as Meta have found, it can actually have a more polarising effect. Whether this will be any different remains to be seen.

If you do use Twitter Blue an annual plan could save you money, which is a good thing.

Fewer recommended Tweets in the feed could impact your reach but if people didn’t like it anyway, it’s unlikely to make too much difference.

LinkedIn
Less of an update and more of a “good to know” this week, they’ve released stats on engagement and ad performance. See them here.

What does this mean for me?
The three key takeaways are that feed updates are up 22% from last year, public content is up 25% from 2020, and 11 million users have turned on LinkedIn’s Creator Mode since its launch almost a year ago. All of which point to growth on the platform and A LOT of potential for you.

Facebook/Meta
Three updates this week. The first is a new deal with Shutterstock allowing Meta to use their library of visual and audio content for their AI tools.

The social media giant is taking legal action against data scraping companies in an attempt to control data misuse. Curlyworm Creative approve this message.

This next one is pretty interesting – the Oversight Board (a board specifically created to hold Facebook and Instagram accountable for freedom of expression) has called for a fresh take on nudity on the platforms, specifically in relation to transgender and non-binary people. Artists and creators have been complaining for a while that Meta’s nudity filters are too overzealous and not fit for use so hopefully this will create a change.

What does this mean for me?
There is huuuugggeeee buzz around AI at the moment, and it’s no surprise that Meta is looking to make sure their offering is legit. The benefits to you are access to over a billion images and videos for AI and ads.

If you are in the business of nudes in the name of art, activism, awareness, or something else a change to the nudity policy will be a welcome change. It’s no secret that its needed looking at for a while.

TikTok
TikTok is expanding its State-Affiliated Media labels to 40 countries, which is interesting when you think that, technically, it’s state affiliated media. Who said anything about deflecting? Realistically this won’t have much impact on the average user, unless you work for State media.

If you’re a creator, this one’s for you – new ways to facilitate brand deals. TikTok is reportedly adding a Talent Manager element to the Creator Portal to help creators connect with brands.

What does this mean for me?
Creators and agents rejoice as the Talent Manager makes it easier for agents to connect clients and brands. If you’re a brand it’s good to get familiar with it, and if you’re a creator you no longer have to give your agent access to your account.

That’s it for this week folks! Remember to sign up for weekly updates direct to your inbox and follow us on LinkedIn for more tips. See you next week!