THE SOCIAL TEA #007: March Round-up
Welcome back to another edition of The Social Tea, where we give you the lowdown from the world of social media news.
From Story likes to YouTube Shorts Shelf, the start of 2022 has been anything but quiet. Cuppa at the ready? Great, let’s get stuck in!
Instagram introduces Story Likes
Instagram’s newest feature provides a new way for users to engage with Stories via Story Likes. Users are now able to ‘like’ any Story on their feeds without having to start a DM conversation.
What does this mean?
A heart icon can now be found at the bottom of the screen which can be tapped when viewing a Story. Story likes remain private, and the author of the story can then see these likes in the form of heart symbols on their Story view sheets.
Why it matters?
Instagram’s latest release is another example of the platform moving towards making engagement behaviours more private for users. With previous additions to the platform such as sharing content and saves, it will be interesting to watch how engagement is transformed on the platform throughout 2022.
For all our savvy-social media managers out there, this will be an additional metric to look out for to measure for story engagements. 💡
TikTok brings back ‘Profile Views History’ feature
TikTok re-introduced the ‘Profile Views History’ feature to the app earlier this month.
What does this mean?
Brands will now be able to see who has viewed their profile within the last 30 days as long as they have the feature turned on themselves.
Many users aren’t pleased about the new feature and took to Twitter to share their frustration:
Why it matters?
Although not welcomed by everyone, this new feature is a great way for brands to gain insight to the type of users viewing their content and account. Even if it does expose people stalking…
Meta rolls out 3D avatar feature
Meta announced they will be introducing the 3D avatars to Instagram Stories and direct messages.
What does this mean?
The 3D avatars will include a greater range of skin shades and assistive devices for differently abled people such as wheelchairs or hearing aids. The new update has been praised for being representative of all users who use the platform. 🙌
Why it matters?
As we head towards the metaverse in the not-so-distant future, how true-to-life we represent ourselves in digital form is becoming an important identity issue. We’ve already seen Google create Real Tone for the new Pixel 6 camera. Now avatars will start to become even more customisable and life-like. It’s all in the name of inclusivity on the internet.
Twitter lets you pin DMs
Although a bit late to the party, Twitter now allows users to pin as many as six DMs to the top of your inbox. 📌
What does this mean?
This will allow users to organise their DMs in a more manageable easy-to-find order.
Why it matters?
The new UX improvement is another example of Twitter prioritising user accessibility of DMs to encourage more effective usage for those with overflowing inboxes.
Instagram introduces event reminder feature
If you haven’t noticed already, Instagram has introduced the ‘add reminder’ feature to the platform and this is one for creators and brands to take full advantage of. 🙏
What does this mean?
The new update gives the option to add event tags to feed posts which followers can then see and choose to opt-in to receive reminders for. So what does this mean for brands and creators? If you have an upcoming event or product release your followers can stay notified all the way up until 15 minutes prior to the event.
Once opted in to an event, followers will receive these notifications::
24 hours before the event
15 minutes before the event
When the event is starting
Why it matters?
Instagram has ensured consumers have no excuse for missing that limited edition shoe drop ever again. Brands can also share the post to Stories with a reminder tag so followers can opt-in to be reminded from there too for maximum leverage.
YouTube launches ‘Shorts Shelf’
YouTube continues to make ‘Shorts’ a bigger focus in 2022, with the roll out of the so-called Shorts Shelf on creators’ channel pages for desktop users.
What does this mean?
Before the update there was no easy hub to showcase creators’ Shorts on desktop..
Why it matters?
Vertical videos show no sign of letting up. YouTube continues to improve Shorts to make them as accessible and compatible as other video platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels. This new feature is a great way for creators to showcase their Shorts in a desktop-friendly way, with YouTube still being one of the more desktop-first platforms.
It’s plain to see that social media platforms are prioritising user experience in 2022. From improving inclusivity on the internet to transforming the way users engage with content, platforms are hearing consumer requests and putting them into practice. 🙌 Stay tuned for April’s Social Tea to for your monthly round-up of all things social!