June 2023

TikTok gives in to AI:

TikTok has officially given in to the hype of AI. Following in the footsteps of Snapchat, it has now introduced an AI chatbot known as ‘Tako’ (watch out Google!).

The purpose of Tako is to be your TikTok help bot, which will give users tips and tricks to help them make the best possible content including the best way to follow trends.

As Tako is easily accessible via the right-hand on-screen menu, the tool is expected to radically change search and navigation within the app.

TikTok is, however, following its strict community guidelines and is not introducing the feature to younger users.

Tako is currently only being rolled out to certain countries, so like everything else we will have to wait another while until it is available in Ireland.

Twitter becomes more user friendly:

Twitter has made a small but useful update in the last month – it has updated ‘Lists.’ Like every other social platform, it is focusing on the search element of the app and making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for. The update lets users pin their lists as their own separate feed for improved accessibility.

So why is this helpful? Well, for anyone who does not use lists already, it is a great place to follow topics of interest to the user. If users are continuously monitoring media, it is a great place to be, especially if the topic is niche and would not be appearing regularly on the main feed.

If only following certain keywords, the new ‘Lists’ update will help users to find more experts in their areas of interest. In general, it’s a helpful update, and we would recommend using it to your advantage!

YouTube removes underused features:

On 26th June, YouTube officially removed ‘Stories’ from its platform. The underused feature launched in 2018 to keep up with the increasing popularity of ‘Stories’ on other social platforms and to provide a full screen engagement option for YouTube creators to connect with users.

However, YouTube has now decided to focus more on ‘Shorts’ and ‘Community posts,’ as these were getting a lot more traction. ‘Community posts’ are better at driving engagement and interaction, while ‘Shorts’ are currently the fastest growing content format on YT.

As it was still in its trail phase, ‘Stories’ never actually saw a full launch to users so the ending of stories will not really have a significant impact.

Some think it may alter YouTube content planning for creators, but the platform YouTube says:

“Today, there are many ways to create on YouTube – from Community posts to Shorts, to long-form and Live. To prioritize these key features, Stories are going away. Starting on 6/26/2023 the option to create a new YouTube Story will no longer be available. Stories that are already live on that date will expire 7 days after they were originally shared.”

LinkedIn introduces job ad verification methods:

LinkedIn is rolling out some brand-new verification methods for advertising jobs. This will follow on from the new personal identification feature that they introduced last month.

The feature will give more context to prospective employees. It will ensure that businesses are who they say they are and help ensure the safety of anyone who is applying for jobs through LinkedIn.
Currently, it is extremely easy to claim you have worked for anyone through your profile. This will also be stopped.

As a result, users will have an all-round greater amount of trust in the platform.

META’s taking over:

Well, the time has officially come…META has lauched a new ‘Twitter Killing’ app.

Known as “Threads” the app has officially launched in over 100 countries, not including the EU. Posts can be up to 500 words long, and include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.

The app is a simplified version of Twitter with a chat-based feed as Instagram has accepted that people have brought their conversations from the feed to private dm’s. Public posting has decreased in the last few months, and ‘Stories’ are more popular than ever.

The system will overall be META’s attempt at better serving its users and evolving with the current social media trends. In the first few hours of its launch, it reached a whopping number of over 10 million sign ups.

This could be like one giant group chat! And the best thing of all is that everyone who has an Instagram account has already automatically signed up. Will you be using it?

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