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.
Without a doubt that social media is a part of our life now. Wait. It’s not a part of our life anymore. It’s now like a part of our body. We’re also witnessing instant changes with every update and news as we’re using social media.
In this article, you can see social media news and updates for January. So grab your tea or coffee, and see what’s going on in the market.
Let’s start with Facebook.
What do we have for Facebook social media updates? Let’s dive in.
In February, Facebook will remove its profile video feature. If you have a video on the profile picture section, it’ll be erased automatically and replaced with a static photo.
Another update for Facebook is about the carousel feature for local businesses. Facebook now shows a carousel of local businesses for support in our news feed.
The next update is for Meta. Meta offers policy requirements for local businesses that plan to advertise and sell products on the platform. It includes Shops via Facebook Pages or IG profiles or on Facebook Marketplace.
Moreover, Whatsapp is also improving. Meta plans to integrate Whatsapp into workplace space to manage communication with staff. We’ll see whether it works out as expected or not.
And hey, what about the gaming news on the digital platform? Here we go. Facebook now has more watch time than Youtube. Geez! The platform reached that high level even though it has fewer streamers.
Instagram – here you are
If you’re a fan of in-stream video advertisements, this news could sadden you because Instagram may consider stopping it. The main reason is thought to be security matters.
Instagram has discreetly overhauled its Poll sticker for Instagram Stories, which presently empowers you to include up to four reaction alternatives for your survey, multiplying your reaction choices.
Not only that, another digital news is that Instagram now offers an opportunity for users to schedule their live videos. So followers will know when the user will be live on the platform. Obviously, this will improve the live video discovery rate.
In addition, vertical swipe stories are coming. Instagram is specifically testing vertical swipe story videos in Turkey. However, there’s no concrete decision on that yet.
Oh and, you might edit the profile grid on Instagram. With this feature, you have a chance to reorder posts on your profile.
The last news is that you can remix any public videos on Instagram. It’s kind of TikTok Duets style. Users can use this feature from now on, so it means it doesn’t include old videos that had been published before.
YouTube is having something different
Youtube now wants us to be sure that we have backup videos.
How? So YouTube plans to add a feature that auto-downloads 20 recommended videos per week. So there’ll always be recommended videos waiting for you.
Another news is that YouTube comes with more specific data for you. There’ll be new filters that help you see more detailed video performance stats and other specific data features.
You can now compare your videos to see detailed numbers with this feature. To access the video performance chart, you can go to Channel analytics > Advanced mode > Compare to > First 24 hours video performance.
Additionally, YouTube creates new tools that allow you to showcase the value of your channel for branding or promotions. This feature will be in the BrandConnect section.
The Media Kit feature will help you share a summary of your subs, unique viewers, average watch time, and other stats. So now, creators will easily pitch their channel stats for ad partners.
Social media updates for Twitter
In January, Twitter brings many news and updates for now and the future. Let’s start with a topic bar.
Twitter now tests a new topic bar above the timeline you’re surfing on. This feature will make finding relevant topics to be part of or read and be informed of easier. It’s like a quick real-time discussion.
Another news might surprise you and make you happy if you love the double tap-like feature. Yes, that’s true. Twitter is testing a double-tap-to-like feature for tweets. With this feature, it will be quicker to surf on the timeline.
It gets better:
The platform now extends keyword blocking and blocking features with more elements. This feature will be applied on Explore tab, emails, event-based notifications, and so on.
Twitter now also tests the search bar section above the main feed. It means you’re going to see a long search above the timeline, so you will no longer need to click the search bar icon to search.
Another update is that Twitter works on a feature that allows you to record space conversations. It’s going to be for all users.
If you’re a Twitter Blue subscriber, now you have a chance to use the new NFT profile image display option on Twitter. The initial step is available for iOS users and Twitter Blue subs.
The social network is also working on a close friend feature. If you want to share content with specific people, you can choose whoever can see it with this feature. You can select up to 150 people.
And the last one is about the tab. Twitter is implementing the About tab section on user profiles.
What’s going on about TikTok?
If you are an active TikTok user, here is some news for you. As we know, TikTok is massively increasing its popularity and followers.
The first news is that you may add up to 15 video links on the TikTok video description now.
Story structure is now changing on TikTok. Instead of the story sidebar, you can see stories on the page feed.
TikTok creates an Instant Page shopping display option. So, TikTok ads will be light and have a native landing page with this new feature.
Dislike option for comments. The platform is now testing the dislike button for comments so you can have a chance to show your stance.
The last news is that TikTok is working on a new Inbox tab style and function. This new inbox tab consists of messages and a notification tab.
That’s it for January 2022. If you want to keep up with monthly social media updates and news, keep an eye on our following articles.
