A lot of big news this week! Meta in particular is going through some massive changes, adopting some eyebrow raising Twitter features like a paid verification option and also an entirely new platform of short, text-based messages. Reddit is changing the way people interact, and more. Read on for this week’s news!
1. Twitter is extending long-form Tweet character limits
Already at 4k for Twitter Blue members, the limit will be raised to 10k characters. Elon Musk tweeted about the change last week:
Should be an interesting shift. It remains to be seen if there’s a demand for long form content on the platform.
2. Meta is cutting it’s Reels Play program
Meta is ending its Reels Play bonus program, which rewards content creators when they hit certain goals for views on their videos. The change, first reported by Business Insider, will affect creators on Facebook and US creators on Instagram.
They’ll honor existing agreements for 30 days, but this could leave a lot of creators in a lurch. Monetization on the platforms is a notoriously tricky road.
3. Verified subscription on Facebook and Instagram?
Looks like Meta is testing out a verified subscription service. They’re rolling it out in Australia and New Zealand already, and it seems a bit similar to what Twitter is doing with Blue.
From Global News:
[…] users could get a blue badge by verifying their accounts using a government ID and paying a fee of USD $11.99 per month on the web or USD $14.99 a month on Apple’s iOS system and Android.
There are a lot of privacy and user data concerns surrounding this, and Twitter has had it’s share of trouble. Should be an interesting experiment.
4. Is Meta developing a Twitter competitor?
Seems like they’re tackling a new text-based, decentralized network. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri is at the helm of the project, which was confirmed through a statement to Platformer:
“We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”
5. Reddit’s new Watch feed is a thing
In an attempt to make Reddit easier and easier to use, they’re adding new features all the time. Watch is Reddit’s attempt to jump on the short-form video train. The two feeds allow you to scroll text posts and video posts.
From SMT:
As you can see in these examples, you’ll soon be able to scroll Reddit in either ‘Read’ or ‘Watch’ mode, with the former highlighting text-based posts, and the latter providing a continuous feed of vertical video content.
