Monthly Social Updates, July 2024

Are you struggling to keep up with the ever-changing world of social media? From huge developments in AI offerings to becoming DJ superstars, read on as we take a deep dive into the notable social updates throughout July that will get you up to speed in no time. 

X gears up for a significantly lengthy legal battle against the EU Commission

As far as X social updates go, it’s not looking great. The European Commission has ruled that Elon Musk’s X violates the Digital Services Act, due to its blue checkmarks being deceptive and the platform in itself falling short on transparency and accountability requirements. 

More specifically, the EU Commission has found that the capacity to buy blue ticks has created a new vector for the promotion of misinformation, due to the appearance of a checkmark adding legitimacy to an account, thanks to Twitter’s old verification system. The Commission states that “as anyone can subscribe to obtain such a “verified status”, it negatively affects users’ ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts and content they interact with”. In other words, blue ticks used to mean trustworthy, but now, anybody can buy one, which is harmful.

X now has the opportunity to review the Commission’s findings, and respond to each point in a significant legal battle. However, if initial claims are upheld, the platform could face fines of up to 6% of its total worldwide revenue and potential expulsion from the EU. However, Musk doesn’t seem to be phased, as he says he is “looking forward to a very public battle in court, so that the people of Europe can know the truth”. X could look to change its approach by removing X Premium, but for now it seems Musk wishes to take a stand.

Google expands its Emoji Kitchen for World Emoji Day

On a lighter note, to honour World Emoji Day on the 17th July, Google expanded its Emoji Kitchen platform, while previewing a new effect coming soon to YouTube Shorts.

First launched back in 2020, Google’s Emoji Kitchen allows users to create mash-ups of different emoji characters, essentially creating an entirely new emoji. Google is now bringing Emoji Kitchen to Search, enabling users to create their own emoji combinations, no matter how crazy the pairing. This just reinforces the light-heartedness and fun that surrounds World Emoji Day, yearly, as well as Google’s dedication to personalisation and user interaction. 

Stay tuned for new emoji additions coming this September!

Apple Maps finally launches on the web to challenge Google

More than a decade after its debut, Apple Maps is getting its largest expansion ever and finally launching on the web. A beta was recently launched, allowing users to do most of what you can do in the iOS version, including view guides, get driving and walking directions, order food directly from Maps, explore cities, and get information about businesses. Apple says additional features, like Look Around, are to come.

Though older versions of Maps were available on the web through the work of developers, who used the API to create maps for sites, its official availability could now help the app compete with Google, which has been available for web users for a lot longer.

The web-based version of Apple Maps is only available in English for now and is compatible with Safari and Chrome on Mac and iPad, along with Chrome and Edge on Windows PCs. This is one of the social updates you won’t want to miss!

X attempts to win back advertisers with the introduction of Trend Genius ads

Is X trying to redeem itself? X is looking to draw advertisers back to the platform with the launch of “Trend Genius ads”. 

As explained by X, Trend Genius allows advertisers to hand select the topics they want to align with. Then, when conversation about these topics naturally reaches a heightened level, an assigned ad placement is automatically deployed on the platform. Simply put, you can put together a campaign to say, tap into the conversation around the Olympics, and X’s Trend Genius process will match your chosen keywords with rising conversation on the app and publish your ad accordingly. X also states that Trend Genius ads can be programmed by third-party data feeds, allowing advertisers to align their ads with real-world-happenings based on off-platform data.

While this could help advertisers maximise their ad spend and tap into trending discussion, there is concern over Trend Genius’ capabilities, given that X’s Grok has recently been under fire for a flurry of incorrect news headlines, such as the one below. Either way, it will be interesting to see what sorts of results brands see with these broader-scale promotions.

TikTok ad spend continues to decline as major players back out ahead of ban 

We know these are the social updates you’re really looking for. With the US TikTok ban continuing to loom, some of the app’s biggest advertisers are starting to consider other options. 

Overall TikTok ad spend declined in both April and May of this year, while four of the platform’s biggest spending advertisers have significantly reduced their ads focus in recent months, leading us to question just how worried they really are. Among the biggest declines, Target has reduced its TikTok ad spend by 30%, DoorDash by 25%, Bayer 20%, and Procter & Gamble 10%. 

Of course the exploration of other options is wise if TikTok is indeed going to be exiting the US, but does this mean your brand should also be giving TikTok the axe? It’s hard to say. Reduced ad spend from bigger players could mean less competition for your own ads. However, the general consensus is not to put all your social media eggs into one TikTok-shaped basket. 

Meta helps users avoid Apple fees on ads

With Apple’s service fee of 30% now extending to all ads purchased in Meta’s main apps on iOS, Meta is looking to help advertisers avoid paying the extra charges by offering a range of options to help side-step the fee. 

Meta’s newly released infographic outlines all the ways in which additional charges when boosting posts, can be avoided until purchasing habits change. These include boosting on a desktop or mobile browser, adding Prepaid Funds, using Meta’s Business Suite, and using Ads Manager. 

TikTok enters the AI chatbot race with Genie

With the AI chatbot race heating up, TikTok is gearing up to launch its own competitor to the Western audience. The platform has sought to trademark the name “Genie” for its AI chatbot tool, which will allow users to pose questions in-stream and get immediate responses in return, among other functions. 

It seems TikTok’s AI chatbot venture has been in the pipeline for quite some time, with users in the Philippines gaining access to its “Tako” chatbot tool last May, though this is only designed to guide users to other videos in-app, rather than answer complex queries. Alongside this, TikTok has been expanding its AI portfolio with the development of features such as the “StreamVoice system” and the ability to build your own virtual humans in-app. The hope is that Genie will be able to integrate all of these offerings into one location. Overall, TikTok is aiming to provide a more functional AI chatbot than its competitors by tapping into discovery rather than simplicity.

@tu_innovation

New AI chatbot on TikTok? 🌟 Genie could be the new virtual assistant that will enhance our interactions on the platform 🤖 💬 Genie would not only simulate dialogues, it would also improve communication with more natural language. It could even reproduce your voice from a few written words! 🗣✨ For now, it looks like the US will be the first country to test this functionality 🇺🇸 Would you use it? 👇 #artificialintelligence #ai #technews #technewsdaily

♬ sonido original – tu_innovation

Snapchat+ proves its standing as the top subscription provider

We love it when fun social updates come through the door. Snapchat+ subscribers can expect a whole host of new personalisation features in a bid to reinforce its value among its user base. 

Of all the additions lined up, the platform’s introduction of customisable, Sims-style houses on the Snap Map is the most impressive. Paying users will be able to build a version of their homes that will appear to friends on the map when location sharing is enabled. There will be infinite ways to customise this according to the individual’s taste. The platform will also expand its Bitmoji Pets, allowing your furry friends to appear beside you when typing in conversations with friends. 

These fun additions are likely to appeal to Snapchat’s core audience, proving the platform’s social listening skills and true understanding of who frequents the app. This is exactly why Snapchat+ has 9 million paying subscribers. We think other platforms looking to drive subscriptions should take notes.

Pinterest users can now share pin boards to other apps 

The mood board is in full swing this summer, making it Pinterest’s time to shine. The platform has improved board sharing options to help users raise awareness of their Pin presence and encourage cross-platform promotion and creation. 

The sharing process is fairly straightforward. Simply choose a Public board you wish to share. Tap on the “Share” icon in the top right, and select a template for your board to be displayed. You can then share that board to your preferred platform. Do bear in mind that a Curated on Pinterest marker will remain when sharing, which could be seen as a Watermark to some platforms, and potentially harm performance, especially if sharing your board to Reels. Instead, consider aiming your board sharing towards Stories. 

The new update is set to target younger users, as a means to maximise growth potential.

Instagram invites users to play DJ with audio track mixing 

It’s not every day you get invited to become a DJ by your favourite social media platform. Instagram has done just this by launching a new feature that will allow users to add multiple music tracks to their Reels, essentially prompting them to play DJ, making this one of the more interesting social updates we have for you this month.

There are a range of creative ways in which this feature can be utilised. What’s more, other users will be able to use the same audio you’ve created, in their own clips, while accessing a full listing of the tracks you’ve added. 

The new feature is the first original update that Instagram has made to its platform in quite some time, and is sure to boost engagement on the app as a result.

Pizza Hut becomes the official sponsor of Dominoes

Rounding off this month’s social updates is Pizza Hut, addressing its status as ‘The Official Sponsor of Dominoes’. 

But not the dominoes we’re thinking of.

The campaign sees Pizza hut team up with the 2024 World Championship Domino Tournament, using this partnership to cheekily poke fun at its rival with a digital, out-of-home teaser campaign declaring that ‘People who love Dominoes love Pizza Hut’ while revealing the chain to be the official partner of the tournament. 

The campaigns humorous tone of voice marks the launch of Pizza Hut’s new creative platform, ‘Together We Pizza’, which it plans on leveraging to launch a new sourdough-style handcrafted crust pizza.

Putting a new spin on the summer of sport, with a nod to its competitor, the campaign proves that successes can be found in cheekily tapping into culture and audiences using humour.

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@sociallypowerful