The State of Social: March Edition

Our consumption of online content is increasing, while habits are changing and with more people taking to social media than ever before, how are social platforms adapting?

Pinterest Introduces Today Tab For Daily Inspiration

In a recent update, Pinterest has accelerated the rollout of a new homepage tab called ‘Today’ which features daily inspiration. As the COVID-19 epidemic continues, more and more people are heading to sites like Pinterest to stay inspired. In fact, over the last weekend, [Pinterest] saw an all-time high around the world with more saves and searches on the platform than any other weekend in our history.

The new homepage will include curated content and trending Pins making it easier to explore timely ideas, such as ‘work from home spaces’ or ‘home yoga workouts’. As well as sources for inspiration, the Today tab will also be used to offer health information from the World Health Organisation and Centers for Disease Control to offer guidance on safety tips during this pandemic. Read more here.

Netflix Launches Party: A New App To Watch With Friends

As we all enter a period of self-isolation, Netflix’s timely gift of Netflix Party could not be more appreciated. The new app allows users to stream simultaneously without being in the same room, but can only be installed as a Google Chrome extension.

So let’s all be thankful for the internet! Despite all the social distancing, Netflix Party comes with unlimited possibilities synchronizing video playback with an added group chat - so you can really feel together when you’re miles apart. I mean, it’s 2020 and if the internet didn’t provide us with ways to still communicate with our friends I’d eat my hat. Here’s to you, Netflix!

Facebook Launches WhatsApp Dark Mode

Earlier this month, WhatsApp rolled out a dark mode option for users on iPhone and Android to “reduce eye strain in low light environments”. Personally, I’m all for the dark mode movement - not just for the alternate colour scheme but for the health benefits as well, reducing blue light in low-light situations, meaning I’m less likely to spend hours in bed with my special prescription blue light glasses or struggling to fall asleep after hours scrolling.

As part of the rollout, Facebook designed the feature to focus on two key elements:

Readability: When choosing colours, we wanted to minimize eye fatigue and use colours that are closer to the system defaults on iPhone and Android respectively.

Information Hierarchy: We wanted to help users easily focus their attention on each screen. We did this by using colour and other design elements to make sure the most important information stands out.

Finally, Facebook is giving WhatsApp users what they want. Learn more.

Twitter Is Testing A New Stories Launch

Here we go again. Yes, it’s another social media platform trialling out a new Stories feature. ‘Fleets’ is Twitter’s new story feature which allows tweets to disappear after 24 hours. Unlike normal tweets, these posts can’t be inundated with the usual likes, retweets or replies before they disappear.

Twitter’s product lead Beykpour says that people feel that their tweets are “permanent and performative”. So the social media platform has taken on this feedback and introduced ways to help people with the anxieties that stop them from sharing on Twitter. Read more here.

Brands Can Now Pay To Be Trending On Reddit

Reddit has launched a new type of advertising called Trending Takeovers, available on both mobile and desktop. Brands can make use of this feature by paying to appear on this new feature, similar to Twitter’s Promoted Trends function.

A core fundamental of marketing is an online discussion and what better way to get people talking about your brand than paying for it. Right? I’m not so sure. Some Reddit users have already taken to the internet to shout about their disdain for this new feature with some consumers saying this new move is the platform “digging their grave”. But with media experts saying that Trending Takeovers could be going for as much as six figures, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Find out more here.