This Week in Social and Digital (Week of March 26)
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.
Instagram Updates Algorithm to Emphasize Recency
Instagram has updated its algorithm. It will now be working to make sure more recent posts appear at the top of user feeds.
This isn’t quite a backpedal to Instagram’s chronological feed that was replaced by an algorithm, but it is an update to make sure newer content has more visibility. According to Instagram, user feeds will “feel more fresh…”
Instagram’s also testing a “New Posts” button. This button allows users to manually refresh their feeds, instead of the feed refreshing automatically, which can frustrate some users who are browsing their feeds and are met with an unexpected refresh.
Instagram’s update harkens back a bit to how the platform used to work, the most recent posts showed up at the top of the feed. When the platform rolled out its algorithm, it was met with user frustration. But given Snapchat’s and Twitter’s greater focus than ever on news, recency and current events, Instagram may be looking to keep them at bay just a bit with this update.
Snapchat Adds New Features to Snap Map
Snapchat’s creepiest feature, Snap Map, got an update. It added Map Explore, which will automatically update Snap Map friends who are sharing their locations with information that they are traveling somewhere new or checking in at various locations or using geofilters. Snap Map will also feature global updates shared to Our Story, which includes breaking news and the events.
Users who are updating their locations will have their information available for 24 hours, but if they haven’t opened Snapchat for eight hours, their location information will disappear. Either way, the feature is completely opt-in.
Snap Maps let users on the platform connect in a completely different way from any other platform out there, and because Snapchat is focused on messaging and one-to-one connections, it’s easy to see the appeal. This update just gives greater context to that location information.
Still, the update is an interesting development in a society that is having sort of a privacy reawakening. This update will likely go by without much notice from users, who may just notice a slight tweak, but culturally, platforms are seeing pushback like never before. Services like Snapchat are going to push until users push back.
Facebook Implements Massive Changes in Wake of Controversy
The news swirling about Facebook can be tough to follow as there was a new development a minute over the past week, but all things boiled down to one thing. Facebook is doing whatever it can to make amends to its users, and ad targeting on Facebook might get a bit more difficult.
First, Facebook announced that it will be removing ad targeting options that rely on data from third parties like Acxiom, Experian, Oracle and Epsilon. These third-parties were able to provide data on purchases, where people shop, health profiles, income, family dynamics and more. This will not affect custom audiences set up by advertisers using their own data, but it will impact ad targeting on the platform. The plug won’t be pulled immediately but will transpire over the next six months, but what will be especially interesting is how services like Google, Snapchat and Twitter respond. They rely on third party data as well.
It’s not just advertising that’s getting an update. Privacy controls are also going to be simplified and outdated settings have been removed. Of course, this move puts the onus on the user. It’s less about Facebook controlling what data it has on its users and more on Facebook giving users the option to tweak their settings. That’s certainly one way to look at the issue, but it won’t quiet all of Facebook’s critics. Currently, privacy settings are spread across 20 different destinations within the Facebook app, so Facebook’s going to combine all of these settings into a single page that’s easier to understand.
Developers are also going to be feeling some pressure as Facebook reevaluates just about everything. Facebook’s pausing its app review process, so developers will not be able to launch new apps or chatbots for the time being. Obviously, this is potentially a huge blow to developers, advertisers and businesses across the board that have invested in building apps only to be unable to launch them. This is only the latest example of what can happen when one is too reliant on a single platform. No date has been set on when the review process will begin again.
Finally, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before Congress. Since all of this unfolded, Facebook stock has dropped 18%, about $100 billion in market value.
Snapchat Seems to Be Launching Connected Apps
Snapchat has a new beta feature called “Connected Apps” in the settings menu. The section states “These apps are connected to your Snapchat account. Choose and app to control what it has access to.”
The beta appears to be testing the ability for third-party apps to connect to users’ Snapchat accounts just like Snap-owned Bitmoji currently does. This means users may soon be able to log into apps using their Snapchat usernames or bring apps into the Snapchat platform to enhance their experiences.
This is all speculation and nothing has been confirmed, but it would make sense for Snapchat to be eying a larger prize than its current closed platform offers today. The ability to create an app ecosystem is an enticing proposition. Still, this could be the wrong time to do that given Facebook’s data troubles and controversy around apps accessing social platform data.
News Quick Hits
- Facebook is expanding its local news initiative to all countries. This initiative elevates local news sources in user News Feeds by focusing on content covering their communities.
- Snap unveiled new ad targeting features for location-based ads. Radius Targeting lets advertisers target messages to specific location points, similar to geofencing. Location Categories let advertisers target users based on the type of location they’re currently at, such as a movie theater, sports stadium or restaurant. The third, and final, category is Foot Traffic Insights. This is less of an ad targeting tool and more of a data tool. It will provide brick-and-mortar businesses information on who has visited their locations. It will be launched as a free tool, and this is the first big rollout of tech powered by the company Placed, which Snapchat acquired.
- Warner Brothers is sponsoring HQ Trivia. For $3 million, HQ will promote three Warner Brothers movies and will also be giving away a $250,000 jackpot prize.
- Facebook has quietly removed “interested in” ad targeting following counsel from experts. The targeting allowed advertisers to reach people based on relationship preferences. The decision to remove the ad targeting was based on feedback from privacy, civil rights and LGBTQ groups Facebook consults on such matters. That being said, it’s also made targeting more difficult for groups that aim to promote LGBTQ rights and social causes.
- Apple is planning to release up to 12 new original shows beginning in March of next year. The content aims to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime. Currently, Apple has a show featuring Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon, a new show from the creator of Bob’s Burgers and more in the pipeline.
- Facebook’s troubles continue to worsen. This week the FTC announced that it was conducting a non-public investigation into the social network’s privacy practices. The investigation will focus on whether or not Facebook violated a 2011 consent degree when it gave data to Cambridge Analytica.
- Google has acquired the GIF platform Tenor. Tenor will remain independent, but GIFs from the service will become more available across the Google portfolio of products, like Google Images and Gboard. The data Tenor has is especially astounding. The service has more users than Twitter, and they conduct 12 billion searches per month. That’s not only a data play for Google but also a search advertising play.
- Turner Sports launched a new streaming service focused on live sports content called Bleacher Report Live. The service will feature live sporting events, including NBA League Pass Games and soccer matches. The service is including options that let users pay a monthly subscription for all content or purchase events individually or even portions of games that are in progress.
- Apple’s trying to get into education more, an area Google has started to own more and more with its affordable Chromebook laptops. Apple introduced a new 9.7 inch iPad for $299 for students and schools and $329 for other consumers. The iPads will work with the Apple Pencil, which will be discounted $10 for students. Apple touted the tablet’s speed over Chromebooks, but the cost is still high for schools and many students.
- LinkedIn has announced native video ads that display in-feed as stand-alone posts are going out of beta and will soon be available to all advertisers.
- Apple unveiled Business Chat in iOS 11.3. Business Chat is still in beta, but it allows people to use iMessages to communicate with businesses in the same way they can use Facebook Messenger. The feature works by allowing users to first search for a business in Maps, Safari or Spotlight. The option to chat with them then displays.
- Snap Inc. had another round of employee cuts. This time 100 people were let go in what has been positioned as the final step in a restructuring process.