Facebook has released Messenger Kids, a chat app for kids. The new platform is separate to other parts of Facebook, but parents must be Facebook friends before their kids can chat online. This is the first time any Facebook app has had a minimum age lower than 13, and it’s hoped Messenger Kids will teach children how to use social media responsibly.
The Facebook platform Instant Games is getting some new features to make it a more sociable activity. Users will soon be able to live stream and video chat while gaming. Facebook is trying to pull users back from games from app stores like Google Play, but will this new approach work?
Twitter has released its annual list of the most popular tweets this year. In a year of news dominated by Trump’s tweets, it was actually Obama who landed three tweets in the top ten. Just goes to show that POTUS power did exist on Twitter before @realdonaldtrump got the title.
Twitter Lite, the low-data mobile web version of Twitter developed for developing markets, is being rolled out to 24 more countries. Originally released in April, Lite allows users to engage in ongoing conversations on Twitter. With 80% of Twitter users still in the US, Lite should help Twitter conquer the globe.
Visual
Instagram is testing a standalone app for direct messaging that will replace users’ Instagram inboxes. The platform is trying to get back to its roots of sharing visual content with your friends, and mirrors Facebook’s Messenger app. If everything goes to plan, the Instagram Direct app should launch worldwide next year.
It looks like Instagram is after Snapchat again, with a new feature that mimics Snapchat’s Memories feature. Instagram will now automatically archive users’ Stories to a private section of their profiles to be used in the Highlights bar. The new feature is available on iOS and Android.
Winner
We all knew it… Beyoncé is the queen of Instagram, with the most liked post on the platform of 2017. A pregnancy photo from February achieved over 11.1 million likes – and 8 million within the first 24 hours. All five top posts of the year shared uplifting moments, showing us all that the best moments in life are the ones we share.
Loser
The AI Facebook uses to create its ‘Year in Review’ posts on your feed has messed up. The algorithm seemingly couldn’t distinguish fun birthday parties from personal (and national) tragedies. Meanwhile, some users had no video at all because they had not shared enough content, flagging the decline in active users on the platform… Roll on 2018.
Creative
To say Snapchat’s Spectacles got off to a slow start is an understatement. But now Snap has come up with a creative way to push their product, teaming up with luxury brand Coach to bring Snap into the physical world. Users need to answer a quiz to win a special holiday pin, which is embedded with a Snapcode. Spectacles users can then scan the badge to unlock Coach-themed arcade games.
