Facebook is tightening rules around what kind of content can be monetised and advertised on its platform. Under new rules announced this week, certain content categories are now banned from monetisation. Among them, misappropriation of children’s characters, tragedy & conflict and debated social issues. The move has raised questions about Facebook’s editorial reach.
Messenger now has 1.3 billion monthly users, up 30% year on year, Facebook revealed this week. That means the messaging app is now as popular as WhatsApp (also owned by Facebook), which reached 1.3 billion two months ago. Facebook has recently started testing Messenger ads – a smart move considering the huge user growth of messaging apps and the waning ad sales growth from the NewsFeed.
Twitter’s 140-character limit is its defining feature. But it is also its most frustrating feature at times (take it from a professional social media copywriter). But now the company may be looking to change this. Twitter is reportedly developing a function that would enable users to type streams of content longer than 140 characters, which would be then be divided into numbered ‘tweetstorms’, similar to a thread, as seen in the screenshots above.
Could Twitter be looking to merge TweetDeck with its main app? The micro-blogging platform this week announced TweetDeck Teams, a feature that lets users share access to Twitter accounts, was now available on mobile. It is the latest hint that TweetDeck, the account management app owned by Twitter, will eventually be swallowed up by the main app.
Visual
Popular dating app Tinder this week became the number 1 grossing app in the Apple App Store for the first time. The development comes on the heels of the global launch of Tinder Gold, a paid premium feature which lets users see who has ‘liked’ them before swiping left or right (no or yes).
Snapchat has combined two of its best features: bitmoji and augmented reality. From this week, users will be able to superimpose their bitmoji avatars into the real-life videos. The new feature is sure to draw in some extra and much-needed love for Snapchat, who are currently losing ground against arch nemesis competitor Instagram Stories.
Winner
There’s nothing quite like the promise of an early-mark to boost productivity! That’s the idea behind National 4pm Finish Day, which saw thousands of Brits leave the office early on Friday as employers embraced the occasion. The idea comes as part of a Red Bull campaign: “#4pmFinish isn’t about slacking off, it’s about being more productive”. In addition to spreading the Friday Feeling, Red Bull’s sponsored hashtag managed to rack up a tidy 4.5k Tweets.
Loser
A heartbroken UK mother has hit out at Instagram this week after a photo of her young son was deleted for supposedly breaching the platform’s guidelines. Charlie Bestwick posted a photo of her 12-year-old son Harry who was born with Goldenhar syndrome, meaning he has ‘no eye, eye socket, nostril, ear and a short jaw’. But it was deleted after being reported by a community member, leaving Charlie ‘beyond disgusted’. Following outrage, Instagram restored the photo and apologised to the family.
Creative
Men’s health charity The Movember Foundation has released a series of powerful ads aimed at getting men to speak up about uncomfortable issues, like depression and prostate cancer. The ads appear to be how-to videos, showing typically ‘tough men’ explaining how to do ‘manly’ tasks, like making a fishing hook or changing a tire, with subtitles underneath. But when the watcher unmutes the videos and ignores the subtitles, everything changes. Take a look.
