Social Media Weekly News Roundup 02.10.20

LinkedIn launches its own Stories feature

LinkedIn has rolled out its first major redesign in five years and follows in the footsteps of many other social media platforms by launching its own Stories feature. Alongside Stories, LinkedIn’s new features include an updated direct messaging feature, the ability to make video calls, and an improved search feature.

David Attenborough breaks Instagram record

David Attenborough’s recent arrival on Instagram has broken the record for the fastest time taken to reach 1 million followers on the platform, with Attenborough hitting the milestone in just 4 hours and 44 minutes. The previous record stood at 5 hours and 16 minutes and was set by Friends actor and Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston in October last year. In response to his Instagram success, Attenborough has said it shows ‘great hope’ for the younger generations who will be impacted by climate change and said he feels ‘privileged’.

Amazon introduces ‘Amazon Explore’, its new virtual tours and experience platform

On Tuesday, Amazon launched its new service ‘Amazon Explore’. The platform, which is available on laptop or desktop, allows customers to book live virtual experiences which may include learning new skills, taking virtual tours of cultural landmarks, or shopping in local boutiques. Amazon Explore sessions will range from 30 to 60 minutes long and can be accessed simply through users’ existing Amazon accounts.

TikTok launches new in-app election guide

With the US presidential election approaching, TikTok has announced that it is launching a new election guide in its app. The initiative follows in the footsteps of other social media platforms’ recent efforts to prevent the spread of political misinformation on their sites.