Social Media News Round-Up: 07/05/21

NEWS

May 7

From auto-captioning to audio-messaging - what’s new in social media this week? Scroll down to find out 👇🏼

Twitter will no longer crop single images

Fed up of having to change your designs to make sure users can actually see your image once it’s cropped on Twitter? Great news - Twitter will no longer crop single images on the platform! The change is rolling out to all iOS and Android users over the next few weeks, and is already being welcomed with open arms by social media managers, photographers and artists alike.

A new kind of surprise: show off more of your pic when you Tweet a single image.

Now available to everyone on Android and iOS –– how your image looks in the Tweet composer is how it will look on the timeline. https://t.co/GTD4JGVXmY pic.twitter.com/u5X2kc8dzO
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 5, 2021

Instagram rolls out automatic captioning sticker

Instagram has officially rolled out its new sticker which allows users to automatically caption their Stories videos. Currently, the sticker is only available in English and English-speaking countries, but will eventually expand to other languages and countries. The feature makes content on Instagram more accessible and engaging.

Facebook announces 2021 Community Accelerator Program

Facebook has launched the next phase of its Community Accelerator Program, which offers grants to communities and their leaders. The program is designed to help Facebook group admins and organisations with a presence in Facebook groups develop their leadership skills and make better use of the tools on offer.

Twitter rolls out its Tip Jar for creators

In a blog post this week, Twitter has announced that it is rolling out a new Tip Jar feature to allow users to support creators through ‘tipping’ them on the platform. All users who use Twitter in English can now use the feature to tip via ‘Cash App’ or PayPal, while a limited group of people can add Tip Jar to the profile in order to start receiving tips. These people include select creators, journalists, experts and non-profit organisations.

Facebook upholds ban on Trump but calls for clearer guidance on violations in future

Facebook’s independent oversight board has ruled in favour of upholding the platform’s ban on Donald Trump, who officially left office earlier this year. The ban was introduced after the board agreed Trump’s activity on the platform had contributed to the Capitol Riots ahead of President Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. Following the ruling though, the board has called on Facebook to establish clearer rules around violations and the penalties for such violations in future.

Snapchat previews its new Creator Marketplace

Snapchat has shared previews of its new Creator Marketplace - a feature that will facilitate brand-influencer partnerships and make running campaigns on the platform smoother and easier. Snap’s Creator Marketplace will enable brands to search for platform influencers by region, language, topic interests and creator category, including creators of the platform’s popular AR filters (or ‘lenses’). Creator Marketplace will be rolled out to a select group of AR Creators throughout 2021, with the platform being expanded to all creators in early 2022, according to Snap.

Messenger announces new features including visual replies in Instagram and easier audio-messaging

In a blog post this week, Messenger announced some new features, including the ability to send visual replies in Instagram DMs. The feature, which is only available on iOS for now, will allow Instagram users to reply to DMs with a photo or video by tapping the camera icon. In response to a 20% uptick in US users sending audio messages, Messenger is also making it easier to go hands-free with a tap-to-record option on Messenger - another feature soon to make it onto Instagram, too. This means users can record audio messages without having to hold down the record button, making it more convenient and accessible.