Meta Updates, Made on YouTube, a Pinterest Pop-Up, and More!

TikTok Tests Google Results in Search Pages

It appearsTikTok is displaying Google results among in-app user searches. This testing follows reports that TikTok is becoming the go-to destination for online searches. We have previously reported that Wikipedia snippets and links have been featured among search results in certain markets. 

Introducing Made on YouTube

YouTube Shorts reportedly bring in more than 70 billion daily views. To better service these audiences, Made On YouTube is set to empower everyone to become creators with updates that will enhance creativity. These updates for Shorts videos include:

• Dream Screen: AI-generated image/video backgrounds for Shorts created by prompted ideas. This experimental feature is expected to be rolled out later this year.
• YouTube Create: A new editing app for mobile-first creators. This will make producing and sharing videos even easier. It is currently in beta on Android in select markets. The free-to-use tools include royalty-free music with beat matching, filters, and transitions.
• AI Insights: Tools to inspire and assist creators with their upcoming videos. This will include assistive search for music, insights for ideas and outlines, and automation dubbing with Aloud.

Wellness Influencers Sued

Regulators are taking a closer look at wellness influencer marketing, a $21b industry. Lawsuits have been filed against aLiver King Steroids video in which endorsements and claims were made by wellness companies and repeated by influencers. This move is sounding alarms for other creators in this industry. 

Personalise Your Facebook Experience

Facebook is making it possible for users to customise their experiences withmultiple personal profiles. This will allow people to separate their profiles among their respective communities, from professional relationships to family and friends. The app will make it easy to organise and sort content accordingly across multiple profiles.

Each adult user can choose a name and have a @username for up to four additional profiles which they can use to connect with others, which will each have unique feeds with relevant content. This feature is being rolled out globally over the next few months, with plans to expand Facebook features and Messenger support for these additional profiles as well. Additional profiles need to be authentic and content posted will also be governed by the Community Guidelines. 

Meta Verified Expands

Meta Verified will be expanding to businesses on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. This follows the earlier launch of Meta Verified for creators which makes it possible to provide subscription bundles to their audiences. Business verification will help businesses to establish themselves as trusted and stand out in the market. It will include a badge, impersonation monitoring, support, and new ways to be discovered (such as appearing in search results pages or having access to additional premium features).

Businesses will be able to choose which apps they’d like verification on, or opt for a bundle covering Instagram, Facebook and, in the future, WhatsApp. It is designed to complement the existing tools available, with initial tests being run on small businesses.Monthly verification subscriptions start at $21.99. 

Meta’s Facebook Logo Redesign

Facebook’s logo has undergone a subtle update to make it “bolder, electric, and everlasting.” The updated version features a smaller circle, a darker shade of blue, and a subtle shift in the Facebook Sans typeface on the letter “f.” Minor changes have also been introduced to the Reaction emojis to make them more vivid and dimensional. The company says this will make the icons easier to read and interact with.

Google Accused of Favouring AI-Generated Content

Google has been accused of updating its algorithm and search results to feature AI-generated content. This comes after Google’s "helpful content update" which generates a signal used by Google's automated ranking systems to ensure search queries are met with relevant results. This system automatically identifies low-value content as one of the factors used to determine search rankings.According to Tech Spot, some are reporting that this system is favouring AI-generated content instead of long-form content, resulting in traffic drops. Google is no longer blocking AI content from appearing and no longer requires ‘helpful content’ to be “written by people, for people.”

No More X Circles Feature

X’s Circles feature will be “depreciated” at the end of next month. Circle enabled users to share personally curated content with their selected confidants. It isn't clear what will happen to past Circle posts. Accounts can still be private, but it will no longer be possible to filter what content your followers are able to see.

Snapchat’s 5 Million Paid Subscription Users

Snapchat has passed the5m user milestone for the Snapchat+ subscription service. A million of those were gained since June, with Snap’s CEO Evan Spiegel expecting this figure to reach 10 million paying subscribers in the medium term. At $3.99 a month, this premium service offers exclusive, pre-release features.

Microsoft’s AI Chat Format Ads

Microsoft has developed ‘conversational ads’ for Bing’s AI-powered chats.

Social Media Active User Rankings

A report bySocial Media Today collated the figures for active users on social media platforms. Facebook reportedly still has the most with over 3b users, followed by YouTube at 2.5b, and then Instagram and WhatsApp at 2b, and TikTok at 1.5b. Continuing down the line, Messenger has 1.3b users, followed by Snapchat at 750m, X at 550m, and Pinterest at 645m.

Pinterest’s Possibility Place Pop-up Shop in London's Covent Garden

Pinterest is openingPossibility Place, a pop-up shop created by Amplify in Covent Garden. The shop-meets-beauty-bar and DIY store will be open on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 September, with the aim of bringing the Pinterest user experience to life on the high street. 

The pop-up shop falls under the campaign theme titled “It’s Possible” to reiterate the idea that Pinterest is a platform where dreams can become reality. Visitors can expect mocktail-making workshops, tattoos, upcycling stations, and interactive demos with interior designers. There will also be a focus on motion graphics to show how seamlessly Pinterest can be integrated into real life, from holiday planning to wardrobe dreaming. 

Possibility Place will be shared across TV, streaming, social, digital and Cinema in the UK and the US.

ChatGPT Can Now Have Conversations 

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has learned to talk. People can interact with it using spoken words as a more natural way of communicating with it. That’s not the only update – it can now respond to images as well. These updates are making ChatGPT easier to use and more helpful. This update will be available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, with voice responses available on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices only. There are five voice options to select from which reportedly sound more natural than other chatbots and can correct itself when it mixes up homonyms.