New platforms are always tricky. People are creatures of habit, and social media is no different. There will always be resistance when new things come along, and the advantage will always lie with the tried and true option. This week, Threads and BeReal are both proving that teaching old dogs new tricks is a lot of work. Instagram is also trying new features, and X is making shifts that could change your posting strategy.
1. BeReal is expanding its feed
The scope of features has proved to be a little too narrow, and even though BeReal started strong, they have struggled to keep their users engaged. Now, though, they are expanding their feed to include friends of friends.
From BeReal:
We’ve created the Friends of Friends feed to make it easier to find the people you care about most on BeReal 🥰. With the new feed, you’ll get a glimpse into what everyone you may know is up to – in all their authentic glory.
2. Instagram announces that it’s testing audio clips for Notes
This basically means you’ll be able to send audio messages to your friends. From Adam Mosseri:
“We haven’t started testing anything publicly yet, but we’re working on the ability to create audio notes to share with your friends.”
Audio clips might also not seem like a big addition. But it provides another way for users to engage, and again, different communities will have different ways of using the feature.
3. Musk is planning to remove headlines from link displays on X.
Removing headlines sounds like a crazy move, but it could make a massive difference in how you present your content on the platform. Until this point, the headline has been the most significant part of the link display, and the platform has typically had low click-through rates, indicating that many users do not click through and read.
4. Threads is trying to get people to return
As users rapidly fall off, Meta is adding new features to Threads. First up, arguably the largest shift: the web app is available. This means you’ll be able to use it and post from your laptop.
Watch the video announcement here.
5. Other Threads features to pay attention to
Things that are worth paying attention to in the Threads app are:
- Hashtag support
- A Reposts tab on user profiles
- Voice notes
Will these changes be enough to keep the platform alive?
