What’s new in Social Media News this week?
Here’s what’s coming:
Video calling on facebook will soon double the capacity of group video calls on Whatsapp from 4 to 8 participants. This exceeds the on-screen video chat limit on messenger, which displays 6 users at a time.
Mood lighting effects have been added to alter your video chat presentation.
Virtual date in Facebook Dating
New option for people that want to set up virtual, unplanned hangouts. Set up rooms, and list of topic of discussion and join via Messenger video
Facebook Live making a comeback
Soon you’ll have a lot more facebook video options to consider, and many opportunities to connect with others.
Instagram is adding new font options for stories, which includes new background effects to make your text stand out. This feature is still in the testing phase, and therefore only a small percentage of users are able to access it.
Instagram is also working on ‘DM Me’ stickers to prompt messaging interactions from stories to your direct message. For businesses this can aid in potential customers to make that first contact through your story. No word on when the possible launch will be, but we’ll keep you updated as we get more info.
To assist viewers discover products, Youtube is running a new test that will show viewers which products are mentioned in the video with a new visual element. Viewers will see an icon on the video, along with more information below, listing the products included in the video.
The team from 9to5 google have suggested that the feature will analyze the video for mentions of specific products, and detect those products and the new visual elements will be overlaid on the video or show underneath the video to offer viewers easy shopping links to those products.
TikTok is collaborating with their brand partners to give users a platform to connect with their friends and family. This new initiative called ‘Small Gestures’ allows users to send free, virtual gifts up to three separate times.
To send a Small Gesture Gift, TikTok users need to search for it on the Discover Page in the app. You then proceed to tap on the purple banner for the program and from there you can select the offers you want to send. Tap on the offer, send it via message, and you’re done.
Among the gifts available in the app are:
A 90-day subscription to Adobe Premiere Rush
1-month free DashPass subscription
90-day trial subscription for Pandora
2-month Premium Membership for Skillshare
The gifts are promotional types that offer many of these businesses to get more people on their services. Although they aren’t physical products, they are still free nonetheless.
That’s all for the news on popular social media platforms this week.
Look out for more on Social Media News Weekly!
