ICYMI: Social Media News May 2023

May 3, 2023
By
Kyra Goodman

The latest social media news. What happened and what it means for your business and your clients.

May 15 Update

Instagram's new text-based app is set to launch this summer, Instagram tests lyrics in Reels and pinning Reels on audio pages, Instagram launches collaborators for broadcast channels and GIFs in comments plus new Reels editing features, Montana passed legislation banning TikTok but TikTok is already suing, TikTok launches a commercial music library, and more!

Instagram News

What happened:

Instagram's new text-based app is set to launch this summer.

What this means for you + clients:

We still don't have a ton of information about the app but the Twitter-rival will probably get a lot of attention at first. We don't ever think brands need to jump onto every new platform though. If you're interested, try it out but we don't expect it to become the next "big thing" for brands. Stay tuned to see how the launch unfolds.

What happened:

Instagram is testing a feature that would let musicians pin Reels on the audio page plus a feature to include lyrics in Reels.

What this means for you + clients:

This could incentivize users to use audios of musicians because if they like your content and pin the Reel to the audio page, it'll be the first thing people see. We'll take any potential discoverability we can get.

The option to include lyrics in Reels as the caption is a major win for accessibility and would make the editing process a ton easier for users wanting to include the captions of the audio.

What happened:

Instagram launches GIF comments and rolls out "collaborators" for broadcast channels.

What this means for you + clients:

GIFs in comments have been in the works for awhile and could be a good conversation starter or engagement tool to really get your feelings across.

Collaborators in broadcast channels opens up an interesting opportunity for creators to have conversations in the space. It could be great for product collaborations or Q+A's.

What happened:

Instagram will be rolling out new editing features for Reels including split, speed and replace.

What this means for you + clients:

It's a win anytime we can have more editing capabilities for our Reels content. These features will allow you to:

  • Split: Easily split a single clip into two clips
  • Speed: Speed up or slow down your clips 
  • Replace: Swap one clip out for another without changing the timing or order of other clips, audio and other elements in your reel 

TikTok News

What happened:

Montana became the first state to pass legislation banning TikTok but TikTok is suing claiming the ban violates the First Amendment.

What this means for you + clients:

The legislation would make it unlawful for Google and Apple's app stores to offer TikTok within the state (Starting January 2024), but wouldn't impose any penalties on individuals using the app. It's unclear how this law would be enforced but stay tuned to see how this unfolds.

What happened:

TikTok launches a Commercial Music Library.

What this means for you + clients:

Good news for brands on TikTok! This library is a pre-cleared global music library that helps make it easier for brands to find music to soundtrack their content on TikTok.

LinkedIn News

What happened:

LinkedIn is bringing its verification to the job search feature.

What this means for you + clients:

This feature should help job seekers feel safe and confident in their job search.

Meta News

What happened:

Meta has been fined $1.3 billion by the EU for data privacy violations.

What this means for you + clients:

This fine has to do with how Facebook transfers data back to the US. Ireland's Data Protection Committee said the current legal framework "did not address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms.” EU regulators ordered Facebook to stop transferring the data of EU citizens to the US.

Adobe News

What happened:

Adobe Photoshop launched a new "Generative Fill" feature that uses AI-generated content based on a text description to fill areas in your images.

What this means for you + clients:

Honestly the tool is pretty impressive so this could be a game changer for photo editors. It's also super helpful for non-expert photo editors as you can easily edit backgrounds and add or remove objects using text prompts.

May 1 Update

Instagram is testing music in Notes and carousels, Twitter will start letting media publishers charge users on a per article basis, YouTube launches new ad formats across Shorts, LinkedIn is testing AI-powered writing suggestions for Premium subscribers, Twitter is logging people out of the desktop app, Twitter has changed the verified label to remove any reference to Twitter Blue and Facebook introduces new Reels customizations so users can "Show more / Show less."

Instagram News

What happened:

Instagram is testing the ability to add music to your Notes and carousels. Mark Zuckerberg announced the test on his 'Meta Channel' broadcast channel on Instagram.

What this means for you + clients:

Instagram already launched the ability to add music to single image posts and it looks like it's making its way to carousels now. When you add music to your posts, your content then lives under the audio page...which is another spot for potential discoverability. And hey! we'll take as much of that as we can get!

Adding music to your carousels can help set the tone for the content of the carousel and can bring more emotion to the post. If and when this feature launches, we recommend using it!

Twitter News

What happened:

Twitter will start letting media publishers charge users on a per article basis.

What this means for you + clients:

This will allow people who don't want to fully subscribe to pay a higher price for single articles when they want. Elon Musk says this feature should roll out this month and that it's a major win for both media organizations and the public (and Twitter as they'll be monetizing on the feature as well).

What happened:

Users on Twitter are being logged out of the desktop app.

What this means for you + clients:

Earlier in the day, word had spread that many legacy verified accounts could briefly recover their blue check mark simply by editing their profile information. Many are speculating that forcing people to log out might be to address that issue. Or maybe it's just the latest bug in the Twitter-verse.

What happened:

Twitter has changed the verified label to remove any reference to Twitter Blue.

What this means for you + clients:

This move comes after very public complaints about celebrity accounts being pinned with a verified label mentioning Twitter Blue when they weren't actually paying for Twitter Blue. The permanence of this change is unclear, but we're willing to bet that this isn't the last change to how the verification program works on Twitter. But currently the labels just look like this:

YouTube News

What happened:

YouTube launches new ad formats across Shorts.

What this means for you + clients:

Two notable updates here:

  • YouTube is xpanding Shorts into Video reach campaigns and adding in-feed video ads to Video reach campaigns. "Video reach campaigns use Google AI to serve the best combination of ads, and improve your reach and efficiency on YouTube"
  • YouTube is introducing the YouTube Select Run of Shorts lineup. "This technology ensures your ads appear alongside the most popular and relevant videos in viewers’ Shorts feed so your brand can stay top-of-mind as users scroll through their latest videos."

LinkedIn News

What happened:

LinkedIn announced that they are testing AI-powered writing suggestions for Premium subscribers.

What this means for you + clients:

When searching for a job, personalized outreach to a hiring manager can make a huge difference, but sometimes it's hard to know what to say. "Using generative AI with information from your profile, the hiring manager’s profile, the job description, and the company of interest, we create a highly personalized draft message to get a conversation started."

TikTok News

What happened:

TikTok is developing a tool for creators to disclose videos generated by AI.

What this means for you + clients:

Back in March, TikTok updated their community guidelines clarifying that "synthetic or manipulated media that shows realistic scenes must be clearly disclosed. This can be done through the use of a sticker or caption, such as ‘synthetic’, ‘fake’, ‘not real’, or ‘altered’." But now it appears the app is working on a dedicated tool for creators to label their AI videos.

What happened:

TikTok's new Creativity Program (creator fund) is opening up today.

What this means for you + clients:

The revamped creator fund has some new requirements now. Users will have to make videos longer than one minute and need to have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 authentic views on their videos in the last 30 days to be eligible.

What happened:

TikTok announced a new ad program that allows marketers to position their brand ads directly after TikTok’s publisher and media partners’ content - and the publishers will get some of that revenue.

What this means for you + clients:

The new "Pulse Premiere" program means TikTok is partnering with big-name publishers like NBCU, Condé Nast, DotDash Meredith, BuzzFeed and others so that brands can position their ads directly after these "suitable TikToks." For the advertisers, this means that you don't have to worry about the placement of your ad showing up next to offensive or obscene materials. And the publisher partners will get some of the money generated from the ad through a revenue-sharing agreement.

It's unclear how much these ad placements will cost but they are labeled as "premium ad placements." It's also unclear how much revenue the publishers will get.

Meta News

What happened:

Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company is introducing new features to make it easier for people to discover and personalize Facebook Reels recs.

What this means for you + clients:

To start, Facebook is adding Reels to the main navigation at the top of Facebook Watch. And now users can tap the three-dot menu at the bottom of the video player and select either “Show More” or “Show Less" which will impact the ranking score of the video. This is helpful for users trying to customize their feeds and will be helpful for brands if their videos are prompting the "Show More" action.

What happened:

The Federal Trade Commission in the US wants to prohibit Facebook from profiting from data it collects on users under 18.

What this means for you + clients:

According to AP, Meta has 30 days to respond to the FTC’s latest action. "As part of the proposed changes to the FTC’s 2020 order (which was announced in 2019 and finalized later), Meta would also be required to pause launching new products and services without “written confirmation from the assessor that its privacy program is in full compliance” with the order."

In other news...

🐦 What is Bluesky and could it be the next Twitter

🤨 Tweets become harder to believe as labels change meaning

🎵 YouTube Music is rolling out podcasts

🎮 Meta is hosting its next VR gaming show in June

📸 You can now post Horizon World photos to your IG Story

📱 Meta pitches AR to advertisers with new Reels ads and Facebook Stories

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This article has been reviewed and updated to ensure the information provided is accurate and up to date.

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