This post is a part of our monthly social media updates and news series, where you can quickly scan through quick recaps of all the changes that took place in recent months.
Facebook’s latest social media updates
To commemorate the Lunar New Year, Messenger has added new features. Messenger has introduced themed stickers and AR effects to help users celebrate Lunar New Year, as well as a new option for users to exchange red letter envelopes in the app through its recently enhanced 3D avatar features.
Facebook Loses a Thousand Daily Active Users
As it continues to move towards the next shift in digital connectivity, Meta has released its Q4 2021 and full-year performance results, which indicate a slight decrease in daily active users. So for the first time ever, it’s down while comparing quarters; from 1.930 million to 1.929 million in the last quarter.
Meta expands its short-form video push by releasing Facebook Reels to all users
With the official debut of Reels on Facebook, Meta is taking its fight against TikTok to the next level, leveraging the platform’s colossal size to capitalise on the popularity of short-form video content.
LinkedIn’s social media updates
LinkedIn Transparency
LinkedIn provides the most up-to-date information on fake account detection, scams, government requests, and other topics.
The platform has released its most recent Transparency Report, which covers the months of January to June 2021. It details all of the material and account breaches discovered and addressed during that time, as well as government demands for information and more.
Experimenting with politics-free feed
While not all platforms seek to provide this as an option (perhaps since it’s one of their primary sources of engagement), LinkedIn is, with a new test ongoing, allowing users to turn off all politics-related posts and updates.
New podcast network
With the debut of its new “LinkedIn Podcast Network,” the platform is capitalising on the growing popularity of podcasts by hosting a variety of episodes centred on major professional themes prepared by internal and external experts.
What’s new on Pinterest?
For Black History Month, Pinterest wants to highlight black creators
Pinterest has launched a new series of activities for Black History Month, including a new Pinterest TV series and a new campaign to assist Black creators in getting more exposure on the platform.
Less active users
As a result of the lockdowns, Pinterest’s active users continue to decline. While eCommerce has witnessed a significant increase in activity due to the pandemic, it appears that at least certain areas of online purchasing are already returning to the norm, with Pinterest’s active user count plummeting for the third quarter in a straight in Q4 2021.
Snapchat’s social media updates
New AR Story tools to highlight the Lunar New Year
Snapchat has released several new AR activations for Lunar New Year to educate users about Chinese culture and influence while celebrating the festival.
319 million daily users
Snapchat gained more subscribers in Q4 while also reporting a positive income result, confirming its position as a vital connective platform for younger audiences as an alternative to the larger social media companies.
YouTube is in good shape
In Q4 2021, YouTube made $8.6 billion in ad revenue, with a total of $28.8 billion in advertising revenue for the year. The creator ecosystem is getting bigger and bigger each day.
Instagram keeps fighting
The Platform Experiments with Converting Stories Highlights to Reels
If you didn’t know, Instagram is pleading with people to give Reels a chance as part of a more significant attempt to prevent consumers from migrating to TikTok.
A new method that allows you to transform an Instagram Stories highlight into a Reels clip is the most recent example of this in action.
Safer Internet Day
Instagram has announced several new features for Safer Internet Day, including its new “Your Activity” display. It allows for better content control in the app and extended access to its Security Check-up tool, which helps users enhance their experience.
The demise of the IGTV app and removal of in-stream video ads
Instagram has announced that its separate IGTV app will be shut down soon, as well as the possibility for in-stream video adverts. This may appear to be a step back for creative monetisation, but Instagram plans to replace it with Reels sticker advertisements and other alternatives.
The social network is experimenting with a new “Articles” option
Twitter is reportedly developing a new feature called “Articles,” which allows users to produce blog entries within the app, which would subsequently be shared through a tweet in some manner.
Twitter Extends Downvotes on Tweet Replies
According to Twitter, more users on both iOS and Android are expected to see the new down arrow on tweet answers, enabling another option to communicate your opinions on each comment.
6 million new users in Q4 and surpassing $5 billion in annual revenue
Since the departure of Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s first quarter appears to have gone well, with the network acquiring 6 million new users in the last quarter and achieving a 22% rise in revenue.
TikTok Has No Intention To Slow Down
Updated community guidelines
The platform has made several changes to its Community Guidelines to strengthen its approach to user safety and address several recent issues about TikTok clips.
Exclusive Content Deals with the NHL and Other Media Organizations
NHL and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) have announced a new relationship with TikTok. According to that, the NHL will provide original material and “unique experiences” in the app.
TikTok confirms that all users will be able to upload 10-minute videos
The social network has announced that all users will soon be allowed to submit 10-minute movies to the app, a significant increase over the existing duration constraints.
