10 Yetis Insight - Social Media Round-Up blog - Twitter Bio Emojis, Facebook & WhatsApp, Lifestage, Twitter DM Buttons

Welcome to this week’s edition of the 10 Yetis Digital Social Media Round Up from Billy!

The aim of these posts are to educate and inform you all on the latest developments in the world of social media.

Twitter Bio Emoji’s

Let’s start with the most important. Twitter have really outdone themselves with this update. It is now possible to include emoji’s within your twitter bio. Yep that’s all there is to say about that one.

WhatsApp and Facebook

It really was only a matter of time before WhatsApp started sharing data with Facebook, and people understandably aren’t happy about it.

In a blog post this week, WhatsApp announced the update to their privacy settings, announcing that they will move to “coordinate with Facebook more in the months ahead”. Though they assure us all the user messages will remain private and encrypted, they will however share your phone number with Facebook. The messaging platform claims that this will help Facebook provide users with “better friend suggestions, and show you more relevant ads”.

All is not lost, you have 30 days to opt out off Facebooks plan to get more of your data. But after that time has lapsed, you may not have a choice what data WhatsApp shares with the social platform.

Lifestage

This week Facebook announced a new youth-friendly app, Lifestage. The video-based social app is designed to be a mirrored version of the early stage of Facebook where users build up a profile to share with their friends.

Early adopters of the app seem confused as to the purpose of the app, with video-based apps Snapchat and the new Instagram Stories performing well, there doesn’t seem to be a reason for this app to exist. The lack of privacy is an issue which needs overcoming for the app to become a win with Gen Z.

The videos don’t disappear after 24 hours (unlike Snapchat). One teen said that she “wouldn’t feel confident enough to post a video that she knew everyone could see”. Lifestage is the brainchild of 19-year-old product manager at Facebook, Michael Sayman, who took founder Mark Zuckerberg’s eye after Sayman created his first app at 13 years old.

With Facebooks popularity dropping with the youth market, Lifestage could be the start of a shift of focus.

Twitter DM Buttons

On Wednesday Twitter announced a button for websites which would allow visitors to the site to send a DM to the team behind the website.

It’s a bold a move to encourage users to send a private message to business, as opposed to tweeting the then with their handle. It also allows public figures to accept DMs from fans without having the hassle of them begging to be followed by their idol.

Twitter claims the update will make it easier than ever for someone to slide into your DMs.

Facebook getting clever

The Californian giant is getting better at identifying your photos, although it isn’t quite there yet.

When we post a photo on Facebook of our friends, we will be prompted to tag them, they already use facial recognition technology. However, the social network want to take it to the next level, by using a form of artificial intelligence known as ‘deep learning’ where it interprets data through a series of ‘neutral networks’. It is easy for a human to tell the difference between two items, but it’s pretty hard for a computer, at the moment. So this new update has some way to go yet, though the development is definitely one to watch.

That’s that for this week.

Billy @_Billy_Ward