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July Social Media Platform Updates 2022

July Social Media Platform Updates

Each month we look at the latest updates from the biggest social media platforms. A recurring trend we see with these new updates is the competition between the different platforms to retain users. Here’s a look at some of the latest social media platform updates: 

Instagram 

Instagram continues pushing its Reels by making it easier for users to create content. In April, they launched Templates for reels, which they are now expanding to more people. If you have a deadline, are spread too thin with your clients, or your creativity well is dried up (which happens to even the best social media content strategists from time to time), this new feature can be a lifesaver. The only drawback is that with more people having access to these templates, it’ll be harder to stand out. While jumping on trends is always a great way to get views, users on TikTok have come under fire for not crediting the originators of these trends. This is especially true of white creators who have gained financial and commercial success from appropriating Black creators’ trends without giving them credit. As a result, you may unknowingly be stealing a trend from users 10x removed who asked to be credited.

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Credit @ahmedghanem on Twitter

Instagram is now even going so far as to recommend music for your reels. Instagram decides which songs to recommend based on the video. What goes into the algorithm’s decision-making process has not been released. TikTok has “Viral” categories for music, which may be part of the inspiration behind adding this option. 

Twitter

The new July update for Twitter is the use of Bitmoji characters as profile pictures. While this may seem like a minor update, it is interesting that Twitter may be continuing its prep for the Metaverse, as it had integrated NFTs are profile pictures back in January. Social Media Today also points out that this is in competition with Snapchat, which integrated Bitmoji’s back in 2017.

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Source: bitmoji.com

Another Twitter update that happened in late June you may have missed is the introduction of long-form written content called Notes. Notes allows users to write longer pieces of content as well as stories through Twitter Write. They are currently running a closed test with a select group of writers. Users will be able to write full blog articles with images and gifs. 

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Source: Twitter

Writers use Twitter to direct traffic to their blogs, articles, and sites. Introducing Twitter notes is a big change for the social media giant. It seems Twitter doesn’t want people to write off their site and direct traffic away from the app. 

YouTube

Continuing with the theme of chasing TikTok is YouTube’s expansion of YouTube Shorts. Shorts are the fasting growing feature of the app, and YouTube is expanding Shorts analytics for users. Now, creators will have different tabs that break down data first by content type. Rather than just “Engagement” or “Reach,” there are now four tabs: Video,” “Shorts,” “Live,” and “Posts”. 

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Credit: YouTube Via Mashable.com

Breaking up the data based on content type is a smart move. Some creators may not have success with long-form videos like they do Shorts, and vice versa. Allowing creators to dive into their analytics with this level of precision is a big win for people who take their content strategy seriously. Usually, built-in analytics aren’t as detailed and effective as analytics tools. However, most tools are still trying to integrate TikTok. Shorts aren’t on most of their radar as of the time of this blog. 

With all the social media platforms trying to compete with each other, brands will have more and easier ways to create content. This can help streamline the process, but it also is leveling out the playing field. 

To help elevate your social media content planning and leverage data analytics to help inform your strategy, contact us for a free 30-minute consult. We’re a team of analytics experts and contact strategists that bring the human intelligence to social media marketing. 

 

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