We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #669 Mashup 15 Apr 2024 TikTok reportedly launching new photo app to rival Instagram TikTok is reportedly taking on Instagram with a new photo app soon to launch called TikTok Notes. The company said it is working on a dedicated space for images and text content. Some users have received notifications stating that their photo posts will be shared to the new app unless they opt out. Meta trials AI chatbot across WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger Meta has begun trials across WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger in India and parts of Africa with its AI chatbot, Meta A ..read more

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #655 Mashup 18 Dec 2023 Instagram introduces new features  Christmas has come early this week for Instagram users, with St Nick *ahem* Mark Zuckerberg delivering new features across the app.  Instagram’s status feature, Notes, now allows users to post video Notes, rather than just text or emojis. The new feature allows users to post two-second looping videos to mutual followers or Close Friends for 24 hours. Plus, mutual friends can now reply to a Note using audio, photo, video, gifs and stickers. Instagram is also testing adding Notes to Feed posts ..read more

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #654 Mashup 11 Dec 2023 Threads is rolling out tags feature globally Threads got a major update last week with the platform rolling out its tags feature. Last month, Meta, which owns Threads, tested the new feature in Australia and, following its success, has now begun rolling it out worldwide. Unlike hashtags, people can use a phrase with spaces in it, along with special characters, and even emojis can be tags! To avoid any cheeky tag spamming, only one tag per Thread will be allowed.  In the four days since the feature launched, web developer Max Mykhalc ..read more

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #653 Mashup 4 Dec 2023 Threads could be coming to the EU soon Meta is reportedly preparing to launch Threads in the EU this month – but with a few alterations due to EU regulations. For example, Threads may offer a view-only mode that does not require an account to use it. The EU has strict guidelines around data collection, so if and when Threads progresses its monetisation plans, this would need to be taken into account.  Threads is also expanding its keyword search feature to all markets where the app is available. The feature, initially tested in Englis ..read more

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #653 Mashup 4 Dec 2023 Threads could be coming to the EU soon Meta is reportedly preparing to launch Threads in the EU this month – but with a few alterations due to EU regulations. For example, Threads may offer a view-only mode that does not require an account to use it. The EU has strict guidelines around data collection, so if and when Threads progresses its monetisation plans, this would need to be taken into account. And, while Threads is yet to have ads on the platform, the EU also has stricter guidelines on data collection, which will certainly need cons ..read more

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #652 Mashup 27 Nov 2023 X’s AI chatbot ‘Grok’ will launch this week  Last week screenshots popped up all over our feeds of X’s ‘Grok’ AI chatbot appearing on X’s web app. The app’s owner, Elon Musk, later confirmed that Grok would be available this week to Premium+ subscribers. And, although Musk’s timeframes have not always been the most reliable, code developments in the X app reveal that Grok interaction is already underway.  Released initially to select testers at the beginning of the month, Grok is Musk’s answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard ..read more

Think forward 2024: Mischief mode Report 23 Nov 2023 Yesterday, we held a LinkedIn Live to discuss Mischief Mode – a trend from our recently released report, Think Forward: The Social Reckoning. As social media and the internet become more commoditised, users are breaking out of the sameness by channelling their rebellious spirit – to hear more about the trend, click here to watch Head of Planning James Honda-Pinder, and Planner Agalia Tan, discuss the meaning of Mischief Mode, and its significance in shaping social in 2024. The rise of social media has revolutionised the way we connect, sha ..read more

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #651 Mashup 20 Nov 2023 Instagram launches new creation tools for Stories and Reels  Instagram is launching a host of new creation tools across the platform. One new feature will allow users to create custom stickers for their Reels and Stories using AI. Driven by Meta’s Segment Anything AI model, the stickers can be created by uploading photos or videos from a phone’s Camera Roll, or choosing from eligible photos and videos on Instagram.  The AI stickers arrived alongside a range of other new features for Instagram and Reels, including new “undo” and ..read more

No More Smoke and Mirrors: The High Stakes of Authenticity in Influencer Marketing Influencer Marketing 14 Nov 2023 Mireille Iskander, Influencer Manager at We Are Social Australia, talks about the importance of authenticity from influencers in building meaningful relationships and trust with audiences. We’ve danced this dance before, haven’t we? Even before the world was abuzz with tweets, likes, and shares, the “influencer” concept existed in guises like celebrity endorsements or ambassadorships. Yet, amidst evolving digital landscapes, one truth remains constant: the authenticity of ..read more

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #650 Mashup 13 Nov 2023 Meta and Amazon team up on new in-app shopping feature  Meta is launching a new in-app shopping feature with Amazon that will allow customers to link their Facebook and Instagram accounts to their Amazon account to shop through the apps. An Amazon spokesperson said “For the first time, customers will be able to shop Amazon’s Facebook and Instagram ads and check out with Amazon without leaving the social media apps. Customers in the U.S. will see real-time pricing, Prime eligibility, delivery estimates, and product details on select A ..read more