This Week in Social is a weekly digest of some of the biggest stories in social media marketing news. These stories are the show notes for the Brave Ad World Podcast. Each story is discussed at a deeper level on the podcast.

Facebook Emphasizing Local News in the News Feed

Facebook’s News Feed algorithm has been in flux for almost all of 2018, and it’s not stopping. The social network announced more local news stories will find their way into user feeds, even if you haven’t liked a local news outlet or opted into the content. People who do follow local news outlets will see more stories, and people who don’t will see some stories, especially if individuals in their network are sharing a local story.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, the decision was based on his tour of the United States in 2017, during which he heard people want to focus on local issues that people can make progress on together, rather than more divisive national issues.

Facebook will determine local sources by evaluating outlets that have had their content clicked on by concentrations of users from local areas or regions, so it will include news as well as sports, arts and human-interest content.

This announcement follows decisions by Facebook to de-emphasize organic news and commercial content in user News Feeds, and implement user trust in publications to give weight in the News Feed.

This will certainly be welcome news for local news publishers and outlets, which already have to contend with difficult business dynamics. And all of this falls under a larger conversation of the effect a mass communications and social platform like Facebook can and does have on society. One sweeping move to remove news and another to implement more local stories has an effect on a massive population that views the Internet through the lens of Facebook.

Twitter Expands Sponsored Moments

Twitter’s Moments feature was launched to much fanfare in 2015, but the social network really hasn’t done that much with it. That may be changing thanks to a new ad product. Now, advertisers can take advantage of Sponsored Moments by selecting and sponsoring Moments curated by premium content sources like Bloomberg.

The move comes after a proven track record of Twitter implementing pre-roll video content in front of publisher content. The ability to leverage content from publishers and integrate advertising around that content has been seen as an opportunity. Publishers have the eye balls and content people want, and advertisers want the people.

So with publishers curating Moments, advertisers have an opportunity to be part of that content creation for a price tag of $50,000 - $100,000 with a 70-30 revenue share with publishers (Publishers taking 70%, Twitter taking 30%). Bank of America was the first to try the new product as it sponsored a Bloomberg Media Moment focused on the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Facebook Earnings Report Reveals Changes to User Behavior

Facebook reported its Q4 2017 earnings this week, and much of the news was what you might expect. Revenue was strong. Facebook brought in $12.97 billion, up 47% over last year and beating analyst expectations. Profits were also up 20% over last year, reaching $4.3 billion.

Facebook also revealed that people have started using Facebook less after it started making updates to the content displayed in News Feeds—more content from friends and family and fewer posts from brands and publishers. Time spent on Facebook has reduced by 50 million hours every day or two minutes less per day on average by Facebook users.

“In 2018, we’re focused on making sure Facebook isn’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being and for society,” stated Mark Zuckerberg.

Facebook is in a bit of a PR crisis at the moment, but it appears to be making a shift to users having interactions on the platform that are of higher quality. That means less time on the platform but more interactions with personal connections.

There is some concern that people spending less time on the platform means less opportunity to reach users through advertising, but all of this started happening in Q4, Facebook’s most successful quarter yet. Those concerns, for now, appear to be unfounded.

At the end of the day, this may actually benefit Facebook by improving perceptions of the platform while simultaneously generating additional ad revenue from advertisers who want to be seen through sponsored posts.

Instagram Stories Lets Brands Create Longer Ads

Instagram is now letting brands launch up to three videos in sequence in Instagram Stories ads, instead of just one 15-second max video. The update lets sponsored Stories ads feel much more like another user-created story, instead of an interruptive ad.

This update comes at a time in which users are spending less time on Facebook, so Instagram will naturally gain even greater importance in advertisers’ media mixes.

This update gives sponsored Stories much greater flexibility for brands. Up until this point brands needed to treat Stories a singular piece with no interaction outside of swiping up. Now, brands can be more creative in their story-telling as they look to take advantage of the tap behavior that advances stories.

News Quick Hits

The New York Times investigated the company Devumi, which has been in the business of selling fake followers that celebrities and brands alike have purchased to artificially inflate their online influence. Devumi is now under investigation by the New York attorney general.
Facebook hasn’t given up on competing with the likes of Twitch and YouTube for a video game streaming audience. The social network just launched the gaming creator pilot program with the goal of getting gamers to spend more time on Facebook and less time on other platforms. One of the ways it's doing that is by implementing tips for gamers accepted into the program. Viewers will be able to tip streaming gamers a minimum of $3. The aim is to draw streaming influencers to its platform and their audiences with them.
Facebook seems to be doing everything it can to improve its image. Now, it’s tackling privacy with seven new privacy principles that assert Facebook will give users control of their privacy, make sure users know how their data is used, design privacy into products from the outset, work to keep information secure, allow users to delete data, improve constantly and be accountable. This effort also includes educational videos in the News Feed and a new privacy center launching this year.
Instagram has updated its API to let business profiles schedule organic posts, view public posts they have been mentioned or tagged in and view other business profiles. The ability to schedule posts has been a top request from brands active on the platform. The capability will be available through social management platforms like Hootsuite.
Facebook has banned ads that promote cryptocurrency products and services “that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive practices.” According to Facebook too many companies are using Facebook ads to promote deceptive products. With the ban in place, Facebook is working to do better at detecting misleading ads that relate to cryptocurrencies.
A coalition of children’s health and education organizations have asked Facebook to shut down Messenger Kids, the parent-monitored chat app for children six years of age or older. According to the coalition, Messenger Kids increases child dependence on digital devices, while negatively impacting mental health and social skills. Facebook contends that iit worked with organizations to ensure Messenger Kids is safe for kids to use.
Snapchat has started selling merchandise in a new store within its app called Snap Store. Snap Store sells Snapchat-branded merchandise like a hot dug plush toy, hats with emojis and sweatshirts with the Snapchat logo. Right now, Snapchat’s limiting products to its own merchandise, but this could be a pressure test for how ecommerce could work on the platform.