5 Social Media News Stories You Need to Read Right Now
By Yasmin PierreNov 18
In August Instagram and Snap released BeReal.'s dual camera format, LinkedIn added a Discover tab, and TikTok added text-to-image AI generator.
Let’s take a look at the main new social media features from August.
Facebook 👍 | New Features | August 2022
- New features for Reels on Facebook
Cross-posting from Instagram to Facebook
Now everyone can cross-post Reels from Instagram to Facebook with a simple click of a button. This will help brands engage their audiences on both social networks.
Yours sticker on Reels
You can now add your stickers and explore new ways of inspiring your audience. Those have been on Stories for a while and have attracted the attention of many creators and followers.
Facebook Reels Insights
New, improved Reel Insights on Facebook can help your brand understand better how your content is performing.
Scheduling Reels on Creator Studio
You can plan your content better now on Facebook since you can also schedule Reels on Creator Studio.
Meta changes the game for the Facebook Gaming app
The social network is about to shut down the Facebook Gaming app on October 28 . The app won’t be available on the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
“Despite this news, our mission to connect players, fans and creators with the games they love hasn’t changed, and you’ll still be able to find your games, streamers and groups when you visit Gaming in the Facebook app.” ~ Facebook
Instagram 📷 | New Features | August 2022
- Dual camera available
Instagram lets you now record videos using the rear and the front cameras simultaneously. Most of the space is taken by the content you shoot with the rear camera, while content shot with the front one shows up in a small window on the screen.
- NFT sharing features expanded to 100 countries
Instagram NFT integration expanded to 100 countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the Americas. More countries are expected to be added to the project.
- New exploration available on Instagram
Users can now hide a couple of suggested posts at once and tailor the content they find in the Explore tab according to certain words, hashtags, and emojis.
“We recognize that people sometimes want different things from different sessions, or their interests or needs from Instagram change quickly over time in a way we’re not going to be able to reflect in our ranking alone,” Tessa Lyons-Laing, Instagram’s director of product management.
- QR codes are the new way of info exchange
Instagram introduced QR codes as a way to share posts or Reels. Those can also be handy when sharing locations and organizing a special brand campaign.
LinkedIn 🤝 | New Features | August 2022
- LinkedIn posts are clickable
The social network introduced clickable links within their image and video posts, which offer new opportunities for brands to engage and convert their leads.
- Pinned comments
You can now pin a comment in the LinkedIn post reply section and thus moderate the conversations with your audience.
- Carousel and design templates
LinkedIn launched a carousel format for their posts as well as design templates that will help marketeers diversify their content on the social network as well as save time.
- New Discover tab
LinkedIn launched a new Discover tab that helps you find people and content outside your network.
TikTok ♪ | New Features | August 2022
- New SoundOn platform for artists
TikTok launched a new platform for creators to upload their music and monetize their songs on TikTok videos.
“New artists and musical creators are a vibrant community within TikTok and SoundOn is designed to support them as they take the first steps in their career. Our SoundOn teams will guide creators on their journey to the big stage and bring the expertise and power of TikTok to life for the artist.” ~ Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music at TikTok
- Text-to-image AI generator
TikTok rolled a new in-app AI generator that transforms text into image. All you need to do is type in a hint and you will get an image that can be used as a background in your videos. The effect is called AI greenscreen.
Twitter 🐦 | New Features | August 2022
- Twitter Circles are available to all users
Twitter circles were first tested in May 2022 and now they are available to all users. The feature lets you communicate with a selected group of up to 150 of your followers.
- Increase in Twitter Blue subscriptions
The Twitter Blue subscription price was raised from $2.99 to $4.99 per month.
Pinterest 📌 | New Features | August 2022
- New app for collage-making and moodboards
Pinterest launched a new iOS app called Shuffles for making collages, adding animated effects, and creating moodboards.
Reddit, Inc. 👽 | New Features | August 2022
- New partnership with FTX
Reddit partnered with crypto exchange FTX to allow users to purchase Ethereum cryptocurrency on the platform and thus manage community points.
Snap Inc. 👻 | New Features | August 2022
Halted future development of the flying camera Pixy
Snap announced that they are stopping the development of their flying selfie Pixy drone. The news come in light of the worsening economic state of the company and less than four months after the drone was launched.
- New Snapchat+ features are available
Snap introduced new features on Snapchat+ which include:
Priority Story replies
This will help brands have more visible replies to Stories.
Post View Emoji
You can now incorporate emojis in your communication.
New Bitmoji backgrounds
You can now play with special Bitmoji backgrounds like gleaming gold and a beach paradise.
New App Icons
There are new designs available for your homescreen Snapchat app icon.
- New front and back camera a la BeReal is available
Snap added a new feature to its camera which enables users to make photos and videos using both their front and back cameras on their phones at the same time.
YouTube 🎥 | New Features | August 2022
- New podcasts homepage
YouTube launched a special podcasts homepage for US users - YouTube.com/podcasts
“The podcast destination page on YouTube helps users explore new and popular podcast episodes, shows and creators, as well as recommend podcast content.” ~ YouTube spokesperson, Paul Pennigton
- Special watermarks on downloaded Shorts
YouTube is trying to encourage users to create original content by adding watermarks on Short clips.
“If you’re a creator who downloads your Shorts from YouTube Studio to share across other platforms, you’ll now find a watermark added to your downloaded content. We’ve added a watermark to the Shorts you download so your viewers can see that the content you’re sharing across platforms can be found on YouTube Shorts.” ~ YouTube
If you want to learn more about the features introduced during the past months, keep on reading.
In July, Facebook leaned into an AI-driven feed while Instagram walked its plans back. Reddit, Inc. launched an NFT-based avatar marketplace and Twitter tested coTweets.
Let’s take a look at the main new social media features from July.
Facebook 👍 | New Features | July 2022
Meta launched an updated Feed that focuses mainly on videos and content from friends and family. The new Feed is similar to the TikTok one, and it’s split into a Home feed with recommended content and a feed where one can discover posts like Favorites, Friends, Groups, and more.
Meta rolled out a monetization model for videos that use licensed music from Facebook’s library. This will help creators generate and keep a revenue share of 20%.
“I have dreamed about using popular music in my videos for years. Music revenue sharing on Facebook is an absolute game changer for creators! I was lucky enough to test this feature earlier this summer. Hearing iconic film scores on my film-themed recipe videos enhances my content so much. I could not be more excited about this!” ~ Katie-Rose Watson, creator of The Rose Table
Instagram 📷 | New Features | July 2022
Instagram is testing a new Live Producer feature that lets users go live using 3rd party streaming software. This will help brands and creators enable more professional livestreams on the social network.
Instagram announced new subscription features, among which are:
- Subscriber Chats
- Subscriber Reels
- Subscriber Posts
- Subscriber Home
An interesting feature will enable creators to publish feed posts only visible to subscribers. There will be a new subscriber tab on the creators’ profiles where subscribers can filter the content.
Instagram launched the ability to buy products and track orders in chats. Instagram users can now ask questions, make a purchase, and track their order. Within the same conversations, businesses can confirm purchases, create payment requests, and collect payments.
Instagram added a new map search feature that will allow users to explore local businesses and get valuable information from them.
“The dynamic, searchable map allows users to have a more personalized and immersive experience when discovering popular locations and businesses and to see what’s nearby, via tagged posts, stories, and guides shared by the Instagram community. Users can also find relevant locations on the map when searching certain hashtags.” ~ Instagram
Instagram started testing a creator marketplace, which will help brands discover and connect with the right creators for special campaigns and partnerships. The marketplace is currently invite-only and available in the US.
LinkedIn 🤝 | New Features | July 2022
LinkedIn announced its second US Creator Accelerator Program, where chosen creators will be invited on a 6-week program to improve their LinkedIn skills and in-app presence.
LinkedIn is testing carousels as a new post format for photos and/or videos. This will give brands and creators more opportunities to engage with their communities with meaningful content.
Reddit, Inc. 👽 | New Features | July 2022
Reddit partnered with GIPHY and added support for GIFs in comments. Users in subreddits will be able to search Giphy’s library and add GIFs directly into comments, accompanied by text.
Reddit launched a marketplace for NFT profile pics. It allows users to buy blockchain-based avatars for a fixed rate. Those purchases will also be available for credit or debit cardholders.
NLP company acquired
Reddit acquired NLP company MeaningCloud, thus bringing new opportunities for brands and creators.
Snap Inc. 👻 | New Features | July 2022
Snap is testing mid-roll ads in Stories. This can be a new monetization opportunity for Snap creators, which will provide them with revenue.
Snap expanded chat and video calling features from mobile to desktop. Users will be able to send messages and make video calls directly from their PCs. The desktop app will be initially available for Snapchat Plus subscribers only.
“Open your laptop and head to web.snapchat.com using Chrome to start a call or pick up where chats left off on mobile. With more than 100 million Snapchatters using our voice and video calling each month on average, we’re excited to offer a new way for our community to keep conversations going on their computers, where they’re already working, learning, and browsing.” ~ Snap
Spotify 🔊 | New Features | July 2022
Spotify expanded video podcasting opportunities for creators in Germany, France, Italy, and Brazil.
“These are markets with especially strong podcast creator communities that have shown a healthy appetite for new ways to create and experience podcasts. Video-native podcasters will now have access to Spotify’s audience around the world, while audio-native podcasters will be able to start experimenting with video and deliver content that their listeners can engage with more deeply.” ~ Spotify
TikTok ♪ | New Features | July 2022
- New SMBs program - Follow me
TikTok launched Follow Me educational program to help small businesses build community and grow their business on the social media platform. The Follow me program offers step-by-step guidance on how to start and grow on TikTok, as well as pro-tips and exclusive learning opportunities.
TikTok released an option to turn on auto-generated closed captions. The platform also introduced translation tools for captions and video descriptions that for now support English, Portuguese, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, and Turkish.
“Through these efforts, global content will become more accessible regardless of the language(s) you speak and where you are in the world.” ~ TikTok
Twitter 🐦 | New Features | July 2022
Twitter is testing a CoTweets feature that allows users to co-author a tweet with another account.
“We’re continuing to explore new ways for people to collaborate on Twitter. We’re testing CoTweets for a limited time to learn how people and brands may use this feature to grow and reach new audiences, and strengthen their collaborations with other accounts.” ~ Twitter
Twitch 🎮 | New Features | July 2022
Twitch is testing a Channel Switcher feature to help users discover livestreams via channel surfing. It lets one easily go through previews of different streams to choose what to watch.
YouTube 🎥 | New Features | July 2022
YouTube partnered with Shopify to allow merchants to integrate their online stores with YouTube Shopping. This will help them feature their products on their channels.
“Creators who link their stores can display their products across their channel and benefit from Shopify’s real-time inventory syncing, so that viewers are never disappointed to find a product out of stock. And, for a more seamless shopping experience, creators in the US can enable onsite checkout so that viewers can complete their purchases without leaving YouTube.” ~YouTube
If you want to learn more about the features introduced during the past months, keep on reading.
New Features on Social Media | June 2022
June was an interesting month when it comes to new social media features. Meta expanded Reels from 60 seconds to 90 seconds, Snapchat launched a $3.99 subscription offering, and Twitter is testing a Notes feature for long-form posts.
Let’s take a look at the main new social media features below.
Facebook 👍 | New Features | June 2022
Meta surprised social media managers by bringing polls, quizzes, and Emoji stickers to Reels on Facebook and Instagram. They also expanded the length of Reels’ from 60 seconds to 90 seconds, giving brands more creative space to communicate.
- Access to creators’ subscriber-only groups.
Facebook enabled fans on external platforms, like podcast service Acast or membership site MemberPress, to access creators' subscriber-only groups.
Meta launched a new Avatars Store for digital clothing items. It will be available on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
Instagram 📷 | New Features | June 2022
The social network has decided to terminate the affiliate program that provided content creators with commissions up to $35,000 when posting on Instagram Reels. The initiative will end on June 30th.
LinkedIn 🤝 | New Features | June 2022
After the beta testing, LinkedIn released audio event features to all creators. This enables creators to connect better with their communities over interactive audio discussions.
LinkedIn also now offers a feature for creators to add a sharable link at the top of their profiles. This gives opportunities to gain new followers both from sites outside the social network as well as from the LinkedIn Feed.
TikTok ♪ | New Features | June 2022
- A feature is tested to provide a better scrolling experience.
TikTok is testing a clear mode feature that removes comments for a less busy experience within the social network. It helps users watch only the video content they are interested in without being distracted.
The social network brings some insight on how to successfully use their tools for your brand’s success. The main three areas covered are trend intelligence, campaign inspiration, and creative tools.
Twitter 🐦 | New Features | June 2022
Twitter introduced a new feature called Product Drops that will inform shoppers of new product releases. It will be accompanied by a ‘Remind me’ button to enable shoppers to subscribe for further notifications.
This partnership will allow merchants to join Twitter’s Shopping Manager and gain access to product catalog tools and shopping features for their profiles.
The social network is looking for new ways to enable brands to communicate on the platform. They are testing a long-form content feature to help businesses build a blog-wise community on Twitter.
YouTube 🎥 | New Features | June 2022
YouTube released a feature to help creators issue corrections via info cards on the top right corner of a video.
Clubhouse 👋 | New Features | June 2022
Clubhouse is looking into providing a more private experience to its users by testing out private groups. This can offer brands opportunities to create closer relationships with niche communities.
Discord 💬 | New Features | June 2022
- New premium membership.
Discord expanded its premium memberships and added an analytics dashboard with membership revenue.
Pinterest 📌 | New Features | June 2022
Pinterest joined forces with THE YES to build a better AI shopping platform. This will enable brands and users to find the right solutions on the social network.
Reddit, Inc. 👽 | New Features | June 2022
- Translation in more languages.
Reddit announced that they plan on translating platform content into more languages. Currently, Reddit supports English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
- Chat and video creation tools expansion.
Another new feature that’s coming up on Reddit is related to the expansion of their chat functionalities as well as their video creation tools.
Snap Inc. 👻 | New Features | June 2022
- New Dynamic Ads Service announced.
Snap launched a Dynamic Ads Service to personalize ads to each user. This will help brands reach out to the right audience at the right time.
- Spotlight video replies are added.
The social network added replies to Spotlight videos, thus giving more communication opportunities between brands and their communities.
- A new subscription option is available.
Snap unveiled a $3.99 subscription called Snapchat Plus that offers exclusive content and early access to new features.
Spotify 🔊 | New Features | June 2022
- SONATIC AI was acquired by Spotify.
Spotify acquired SONATIC AI, which creates human voices from text.
Substack ✍️ | New Features | June 2022
- New audio features announced.
Substack shared new audio features, e.g. voiceovers for posts and support for multiple audio files.
- New text-to-speech tool is in the making.
They are also working on a text-to-speech tool to read articles.
Twitch 🎮 | New Features | June 2022
- A flat payout model for streamers is now available.
Twitch is changing to a flat payouts model for streamers.
If you want to learn more about the features introduced during the past months, keep on reading.
New Features on Social Media | May 2022
It's been yet another busy month for social media platforms -- TikTok launched ad monetization for creators, Instagram added support for NFTs, and YouTube unveiled a green screen tool. Check out our full summary of new features below!
Facebook 👍 | New Features | May 2022
- Shut down its podcast service and will remove Audio Hub and Soundbites soon.
- Introduced challenges to help Reels creators earn bonuses.
Instagram 📷 | New Features | May 2022
LinkedIn 🤝 | New Features | May 2022
- Added real-time captions for LinkedIn audio events.
- Updated its algorithm to stop promoting "low-quality content" (e.g. engagement bait).
- Expanded its Creator Accelerator Program to India.
Pinterest 📌 | New Features | May 2022
- Launched a new live-streaming app for creators called Pinterest TV Studio.
Snapchat 👻 | New Features | May 2022
- Partnered with Cameo to connect brands with creators to produce video ads.
- Acquired database developer KeyDB.
SoundCloud ☁️ | New Features | May 2022
TikTok ♪ | New Features | May 2022
- Launched TikTok Pulse, a contextual advertising solution. Brands can run ads against top content in the For You feed. Creators with 100K+ followers are eligible for monetization with a 50/50 revenue split.
- Replaced the Discover tab with Friends.
- Added new ways to tag and credit creators in video descriptions.
- Unveiled its “Branded Mission” program, allowing advertisers to crowdsource branded content from creators with 1K+ followers.
- Testing video games on its app in Vietnam.
- Announced paid subscriptions feature for creators that are 18+ and have 1K+ followers.
- Rolled out TikTok Insights, an interactive audience insights platform.
Twitter 🐦 | New Features | May 2022
- Testing a new feature called Twitter Circle to restrict Tweets to a small audience of up to 150 people.
- Released a browser game called Data Dash to help users understand their privacy settings.
- Introduced a crisis misinformation policy to hide misleading tweets from high-profile accounts.
- Launched Twitter Create with resources for creators.
YouTube 🎥 | New Features | May 2022
- Added Live Redirect feature to point livestream viewers to another broadcast a la Twitch raids.
- Released a Green Screen tool to let creators use a 60-second clip from an existing YouTube video in a new Short.
- Confirmed it's working on the ability for two channels to co-host live shopping events together.
- Unveiled Most Replayed feature to highlight popular video segments and Single Loop feature to put a video on endless repeat.
- Testing a memberships gifting feature with select creators.
- Rolled out ads on Shorts.
New Features on Social Media | April 2022
Elon's takeover bid for Twitter dominated headlines, but it wasn't the only thing to happen on social media platforms last month. Here's a look back at the latest updates and new features on social media:
Instagram 📷 | New Features | April 2022
- Rolled out product tags to all U.S. users, a feature that was previously available only to approved creators.
- Testing a Templates feature to make Reels using formats from other posts.
- Testing the ability to pin posts to the top of your profile.
- Announced algorithmic changes to reward original content and punish reposted material.
Pinterest 📌 | New Features | April 2022
Snapchat 👻 | New Features | April 2022
- Testing ads in Spotlight.
- Launched Director Mode, which includes editing tools like green screen and dual camera recording, to help Snap better compete with TikTok and BeReal.
Substack ✍️ | New Features | April 2022
- Released a recommendations feature to help writers promote one another's content.
TikTok ♪ | New Features | April 2022
Twitch 🎮 | New Features | April 2022
- Rumored to be considering a change to creators' revenue share, possibly reducing the percentage from 70% to 50%.
Twitter 🐦 | New Features | April 2022
- Testing an edit button. Finally!
- Acquired OpenBack to enhance its push notifications.
- Announced a pilot with Stripe to pay select Twitter users in crypto.
WhatsApp 📞 | New Features | April 2022
- Introduced WhatsApp Communities, bringing more group capabilities to the popular messaging app.
- Added support for up to 32-person video calls.
YouTube 🎥 | New Features | April 2022
New Features on Social Media | March 2022
Whew, March was another busy month for new features on social media platforms. Here's a look back at the latest social media updates:
Amazon 📦 | New Features | March 2022
Announced Amp, a live audio app for users to create radio shows.