Elon Musk’s Twitter Rebrand Blocked in Indonesia, TikTok Music App Launch and more

Elon Musk’s Twitter Rebrand Blocked in Indonesia

Twitter’s recent rebranding to X has been met with mixed reviews around the world. In Indonesia, Twitter’s rebrand has been blocked altogether as the country implements measures to curb porn and gambling sites. The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics says it is in contact with X.com to determine the purpose of the domain which had previously been blocked due to its content. 

The Indonesian government is awaiting a letter stating that X.com will be used by Twitter. Until then, the country’s 24 million users are unable to access the platform. Indonesia requires that sites including Google, Instagram, TikTok and Netflix, need to make a submission detailing the contents of the platforms, or face a ban. Websites considered offensive, criminal, or dangerous are blocked. When it comes to the banning of X, it has been due to the negative connotations and history of the domain, rather than the platform itself which has been freely available up until the rebrand. 

Twitter's rebranding to X is more than a redesign of the logo – it is a move set to transform what was once Twitter to an app for everything, from social networking to payments and banking. 

Semantic Search is Coming to X

Elon Musk is investing in an xAI model rooted in “maximally truth seeking” as X becomes a broader platform that includes social networking and entertainment. In response to the criticism of its current search functionality, Musk said in a tweet “We are working on semantic (AI) search. Will show posts of X that match the meaning of your search, not just the text.”

Google has been introducing semantic search which seeks to apply contextual meaning for more accurate search results. 

This will also generate better insights that extend beyond keywords which aren’t always true matches. 

TikTok Announces Global #BookTok Challenge

#BookTok has racked up over 165B global views on TikTok, making this one of the platforms most thriving communities. It is a space for authors, readers, and creators who share a passion for literature to share reviews, writing tips, recommendations, and more. As #BookTok continues to grow, TikTok introduced the Global #BookTok Challenge taking place during August. Book lovers are encouraged to create content for the community with at least two videos using the #BookTok challenge. By doing so, they’ll receive a special profile frame and could bag exclusive prizes. There are various subcategories for users in the US, from favourite books to small business support. 

TikTok Music App Launch 

TikTok has jumped on the music streaming bandwagon with plans to roll out TikTok Music to new markets. The platform expanded the closed beta for its subscription-only music streaming service to select users from Australia, Mexico, and Singapore for testing with a three-month free trial of this service. 

According to TikTok, “TikTok Music is a new kind of music service that combines the power of music discovery on TikTok with a music streaming service offering millions of tracks from thousands of artists.” The app has already had a significant influence on the music industry, with viral trending songs leading to hit singles. The company has partnerships in place with Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Group, making it a worthy contender to compete with Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. 

While it will have its own app, it can also be linked to a TikTok account, allowing users to listen to, share, and download music. Cool features include collaborative playlists, lyrics delivered in real time, and a Shazam-like feature. 

Instagram Updates the "Like" feature 

Instagram’s latest update to the ‘like’ function has left users wholeheartedly unimpressed. The “like” function is now animated, so when users ‘like’ a post, a large red heart appears in the right hand corner and fills the screen. This disrupts the scrolling and is said by critics to be an over exaggerated visual reaction. 

YouTube Music Introduces Samples 

YouTube Music is spurring artist discovery with their new Samples feature which uses its own unique algorithm. Samples is a mobile tab featuring short-form video segments, in another bid to match the TikTok offering. A personalised feed will display “the latest release from an up-and-coming artist or a deep cut from a legacy [musician].” Each track will be accompanied by a 30-second video clip which can be skipped with a swipe. The snippets loop endlessly and essentially introduce you to clips of music videos which you may not have found otherwise. You’ll then be able to engage with the content and download it if you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber. Samples is currently being rolled out around the world.