While February is the shortest month of the year, it has been filled to the brim with social media changes and updates. Instagram is removing live stream shopping elements, TikTok is urging users to ditch anything ‘low vibrational,’ and Bing limits chat sessions to their new AI tools. Read more to find out what is in and what is out in the digital marketing world.
Social Media Updates
Instagram Announces Removal of Live Stream Shopping Elements
Live shopping has performed well in Asian markets, but it doesn’t seem to be catching on in the West as expected. Meta pulled Facebook out of live shopping last August and now they have decided to let go of its live shopping push on Instagram. This means Instagram users will no longer be able to tag products while livestreaming. This will take effect starting March 16, 2023. Live-stream shopping has not seen success on Meta platforms as well as Pinterest and YouTube. With Meta looking to cut costs and streamline its operations, they are removing themselves from the live-stream shopping world.
YouTube Tests Podcast Management Options in YouTube Studio
YouTube is testing the capacity to upload and manage podcasts in the YouTube Studio app. The current experiment allows creators to create podcasts or set an existing playlist as a podcast within Studio. Podcasts can be uploaded within the ‘Create’ element of YouTube Studio and all podcasts can be viewed in the ‘Content’ menu under a new Podcasts tab. YouTube is also testing a new Podcast analytics. This will provide podcast-specific performance insights, making it easier to measure podcast content separate from video uploads. With many YouTubers having their own podcasts, this will help increase engagement while monitoring and measuring their various content and audiences.
Messenger is Prototyping a BeReal-ish ‘Roll Call’ in chats
Meta is playing with a private version of BeReal called ‘Roll Call’ which can be viewed in your messenger group chats. One person in the group initiates the Roll Call and can add custom prompts to request, such as pictures of pets or food. People in the group chat will have five minutes to respond with their pictures, which use the front and back facing cameras. Like BeReal, you cannot view anyone’s submission until you post your own. This feature is a prototype and not tested externally.
Facebook Updates Comment Moderation Tool for Creators
Facebook is helping creators to have more control over their comment section by giving the option of searching comments by keywords and taking bulk actions through the Comments Manager in their Professional Dashboard. This gives creators the ability to like comments in bulk that have a specific keyword or emojis and hide comments that are negative or inappropriate. As creators are vulnerable to the public eye, these new tools can help increase engagement while creating a safe community for both creators and followers.
Pinterest Expands Idea Pin Video Length to 5 Minutes
Pinterest has extended their 60-second video limit to 5 minutes, giving users the opportunity to tell a more complete story within your Idea Pins. Idea Pins was launched by Pinterest in 2021 taking on a full screen format, featuring quick how-to’s, explaining products, sharing ideas, and more. The increased limit gives users more space to go into details while keeping content short if they want to. Users can play with the length that works best for them.
Why TikTok is Urging You to Ditch Anything ‘Low Vibrational’
TikTok is urging people to remove and let go of the things in their lives that aren’t serving them. The movement was started by influencer @sweatsandthecity where she goes over the low vibrational things that she has dropped to raise her vibration mentioning habits like consuming endless streams of news, saying yes to plans, not prioritizing gratitude, and holding onto clutter. Turns out, she is not the only one who is looking to let go, as similar posts are gaining popularity. The movement includes letting go of addictions that don’t lead to anything good, toxic relationships, items that are taking up too much space in your home and life, and beauty standards to name a few, while celebrating and giving energy to self-care and personal advancement.
Industry News
Bing Limits Chat Sessions of ChatGPT
Recently, Bing capped their new popular chatbot sessions with 50 questions per day and 5 per session. They are now bumping the limit up to 60 questions per day and 6 per session. Now, after a chat session hits 6 turns, users will be prompted to start a new topic. Additionally, the chatbot can now offer the ability to customize your preferred tone for chat, options being, precise, balanced, or creative.
Looking to adjust your marketing strategy to keep up with these big trends and changes? Contact our team and let’s talk about how we can be a partner to you!