Instagram is updating their video feed to make it more streamlined, which makes a ton of sense. Twitter is letting people organize their feed chronologically. We don’t get a ton of Snapchat news, but they’re adding some new monetization tools to hook creators. As always, a lot is happening! Let’s dive in.
1. Instagram In-Feed video and IGTV are now one thing
Instagram has a lot going on in the video space, so the move to merge some of the video products makes a ton of sense. Essentially, IGTV and in-feed video are now the same thing, and will be called Instagram Video. Here’s some more from Instagram:
Creators can continue to cross-post their videos through Stories and share via direct message. Using all our surfaces provides multiple ways for creators to tell their stories and engage with their communities. Video previews in feed will now be 60 seconds long, unless the video is eligible for ads — in which case, the preview will still be 15 seconds.
2. Twitter makes it easier to go back to a chronological feed
This is important because it allows users to effectively turn off the algorithm. “Latest” lets your view your timeline posts in real time, without the interference of Twitter’s algorithm. Here’s what Twitter says:
Top Tweets first or latest Tweets first? We’re making it easier to switch between the two timelines and know which one you’re scrolling.
Now testing with some of you on iOS: swipe between "Home" and "Latest" on the Home tab to choose which Tweets you see first. pic.twitter.com/LoyAN4cONu
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) October 12, 2021
3. Instagram is adding more in-app alerts for account policy violations and technical problems
We’re not trying to get our hopes up, but this sounds like they’re going to try to offer more insight about account status and problems that arise. Anyone who has ever encountered a suspension without explanation knows how aggravating it is. Here’s hoping for a shred of transparency regarding account problems and Instagram outages:
We're going to test out new notifications when certain parts of Instagram aren't working, and we notice that people have a lot of questions. We want to make it easier to understand what's going on, directly from the source. For now, we'll be testing it out just in the US. pic.twitter.com/AqDWQISAS2
— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) October 11, 2021
4. Snapchat is introducing Spotlight Challenges
It looks like Snapchat is trying to come up with new ways to incentivize creators. You can enter challenges using specific Sounds, Lenses, #Topics, etc. and win money. Here’s some information:
Snapchatters can win a share of the total prize amount available for each Spotlight Challenge, which will typically range from $1k to $25k, although occasionally we may make available a larger sum for a particular Challenge. The minimum prize that a Snapchatter can win in a Spotlight Challenge is $250 USD!
To participate, visit the Trending Page, accessed via the trending symbol on the top right corner of Spotlight within Snapchat. Select the Challenge you want to participate in to see that specific Challenge’s page, which will feature the Challenge description and entries submitted by the community. Tap “Challenge Details” for additional Challenge-specific details like available prizes and the submission deadline. Tap the camera icon to open the Snapchat camera. Create and submit!
5. Facebook launches ‘Audio’
This is interesting. In addition to their Live Audio Rooms, Facebook will launch an Audio content hub of sorts, expanding Live Audio Rooms and adding podcast-type content and a TikTok for audio, featuring short audio clips. More here:
Facebook is expanding its investment in audio initiatives with the launch of a new “Audio” destination in its mobile app in the U.S., where users will be able to discover in one place all the audio formats Facebook now hosts, including podcasts, Live Audio Rooms and short-form audio. The company says it’s also making its Clubhouse rival, Live Audio Rooms, more broadly available to global users, and is beginning to roll out a new product called Soundbites, a sort of TikTok for audio offering short audio clips.
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