As part of a new series, we’re taking a look at what’s new in social media.
For most, LinkedIn isn’t a social media platform used to post on or connect through on a daily basis. However, with that said, LinkedIn continues to add features with the intentions of encouraging increased traffic through the platform and improve the user experience. Many of these new features come following the extensive renovation of the site, following the acquisition by Microsoft, in the first half of this year.
One of its latest updates to encourage easier and increased interaction within the website and app is a Tinder-styled matchmaking system for those looking for business mentors. This feature essentially pairs a user with an appropriate mentor based on their mutual industries, experiences and interests. Mentors and mentees can customise the boundaries for finding the other, limiting or increasing their reach depending on the individual’s preference. The mentor and mentees choose to either accept or reject the proposed match. Both must accept in order to become a part of a mentorship, and once this is completed, communication can begin. The mentorships are not something you are tied into; each party has the option to end the mentorship whenever they please.
LinkedIn’s most recent update focuses more specifically on the app and comes as an attempt to increase the number of posts users share on their accounts; something that people do religiously on other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. With this in mind and to increase the duration of site visits, they have introduced a new video upload feature available at the tap of an icon on both the iPhone and Android LinkedIn apps. This is bound to enhance user experience and improve the social network drastically.
These certainly are very exciting steps to improving the experience and ease of communication within the professional sphere, particularly from your mobile devices. It will be interesting to see what LinkedIn does next. Stay tuned!
It has been recently reported that Facebook is expecting a major decline in activity and engagement from its younger users (early twenties and under) in the coming months. Their attention has moved elsewhere to rival social media platforms; namely, Snapchat and Instagram.
But why have millennials positioned their loyalties away from Facebook? It has been noted that youngsters increasingly resent the extensive advertising that dominates their newsfeed and are unsatisfied by the features Facebook offers. Not only do the likes of Snapchat and Instagram advertise on a significantly lower scale to Facebook, they offer what most would see as a more visually personalised and creative arena for people to curate individualistic messages and images. Quick visual expression is the favoured method of communication for today’s teens.
It will be fascinating to see what this means for the future of Facebook. Will they have to decrease the amount of advertising to entice a younger audience? How would this work when Facebook relies extensively on advertising for revenue? Will it become a platform in years to come solely used by an older demographic? Only time will tell.
Twitter has been following in the footsteps of Snapchat Stories, with the introduction of its new ‘Moments’ feature. This feature is available to everyone, and everyone can create a Moment, although not all make the cut.
So, what is a Moment?
A Moment is a curated story compiled of people’s tweets, presenting the best and most popular content on Twitter; from celebrity gossip, to trending music, to hilarious memes, and breaking news, Moments cover all ground.
For teenagers, Moments have become major influencers on their social (media) status and is something they are getting very excited about. Those who make it onto Moments feel a sense of achievement and fulfilment, tweeting passionately about the occasion as well (naturally!). What is so attractive about this is that it gives general users an opportunity to gain a wider reach with their tweets, instead of just celebrities and politicians having a domineering social media influence. As such, the most popular trending Moments tend to be those that feature the most relatable, everyday topics and struggles.
Since the release of this new feature, Twitter has seen a surge in interaction with the app, particularly among 18-24 year olds. This comes as no surprise as social media and communication becomes increasingly visual. Facebook – take note.
Instagram’s recent changes have gone unnoticed by few, particularly due to the resemblance it shares with its rival Snapchat’s in-app tools. A bold move by Instagram, but action of this kind seems to be part and parcel of today’s social media arena, as they compete for user interaction, and Instagram is certainly not the first to do so.
Instagram Stories is the latest replica of Snapchat’s pre-existing feature in which the design and format is almost identical, including the incorporation of gimmicky facial filters, locations, temperatures, text and drawing options. Although many were hesitant at first, users have shown a preference to Instagram Stories. Brands also prefer Instagram Stories as they receive much higher interaction and engagement rates than their Snapchat counterparts.
