Social Media News Round-Up: 20/08/21
Snapchat launches ‘Snapchat Trends’ to highlight key topics of discussion
Snapchat has launched a new market research tool, Snapchat Trends, which allows marketers to conduct research around keywords and popular terms and monitor discussion changes. The tool highlights the most popular keywords shared on public Stories and My Stories that have been viewed by a large number of people, as well as turning them into a searchable database. Snap says that with these new insights, it will be able to “provide a new level of visibility into organic chatter on Snapchat, looking at what our community is talking about and showcasing popular Snaps that exemplify each trending topic.”
TikTok announces new partnerships with Vimeo and Canva
TikTok has announced new partnerships with Canva and Vimeo to streamline content creation and allow marketers and small businesses to build better campaigns. The partnerships will allow direct integrations between TikTok Ad Manager and Vimeo and Canva, making it easy to build creative content and upload it straight into your TikTok campaign.
Facebook rolls out end-to-end encryption for Messenger
Facebook has officially announced end-to-end encryption for its Messenger app. Users will now have the option to make voice and video calls end-to-end encrypted. Facebook has also updated its expiring message feature, allowing people to set timer controls from 5 seconds to 24 hours to determine when their messages expire and disappear in chats. The platform is also testing end-to-end encrypted group chats and opt-in end-to-end encryption for Instagram DMs, both of which it says will be rolling out in the coming weeks.
Twitter tests new topic tags to improve discovery of Spaces
Twitter is currently testing a new option for Spaces that would allow hosts to add up to 3 topic tags to describe what their discussion will be about. Users would then be able to discover new Spaces via these tags, helping to maximise reach and engagement. Though Twitter will be relying on algorithms to highlight the most relevant Spaces to each user, topic tags provide a much needed extra way for users to find content that they’re interested in.
Reddit tests new TikTok-like video feed
In response to the explosion in popularity of short-form video content, Reddit has been quietly testing its own TikTok-like video feed that would align with user interests based on the subreddits they follow. Users would seemingly have the same functionality with videos as with posts on the platform, including the ability to upvote and downvote, comment, gift an award, and share the content.
Pinterest launches ‘Hair Pattern Search’ to boost inclusion on its app
Pinterest is continuing its steps to improve inclusivity and accessibility on its platform by introducing a new hair pattern search option. The tool, which is the first of its kind, will allow users to search for hair products and ideas based on their hair type, and is similar to its existing skin tone search option. Pinterest explains that “through computer vision-powered object detection, hair pattern search enables Pinners to refine hair searches by six different hair patterns: protective, coily, curly, wavy, straight and shaved/bald.”
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