No photos, please

Copyright issues are usually something that people try to avoid. But apparently, a cop in California thought he could use it to his advantage. While being filmed by a member of the public, the police officer began playing "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift. “You can record all you want,” he said, according to a video obtained by The Verge. “I just know it can’t be posted to YouTube.” Including copyrighted music in videos can trigger platforms to remove content. But in this case, things definitely backfired after the video went viral. 

In today's top stories:

• Instagram says it is no longer a photo-sharing app

• TikTok adds minutes to the clock

• And tech giants need to make social media safer for women

• Plus, some sweet and sour tweets 

Read on ⬇️

 Instagram No Longer a Photo-Sharing App 

On July 16, 2010, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom uploaded the first-ever photo to Instagram. Since then, the social media platform has built a brand as a photo-sharing app. But as the company — now owned by Facebook — nears its 11th anniversary, Instagram has announced several key areas of focus, including: creators, shopping, and messaging. But perhaps its biggest shift is its move away from photos and towards video. "We're no longer a photo-sharing app, or a square photo-sharing app," Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said in a recent video posted on Twitter.

 Why Video 
In the message posted on Twitter, Mosseri outlines two reasons that Instagram is making the shift to video: 

• There is a lot of competition from platforms like TikTok and YouTube, which have become video powerhouses.

• Research suggests that the number one reason that people come to Instagram is to be "entertained."

So, to deal with that increasing competition, and to better deliver entertaining content, Mosseri said they will be leaning into the video trend by conducting a number of experiments over the coming months. He didn't provide any concrete examples, but just mentioned full-screen, mobile-first, entertaining, immersive video. Also, expect to see experiments with recommendations and showing you more of what Instagram thinks you want to see.

 The Role of Creators 

Speaking of being entertained, much of that comes down to creators. And social media companies know it. That's why many of the top platforms have been working hard this year to entice creators to their platform (think: Snapchat's Spotlight feature). Instagram is no different. It has announced a number of measures this year aimed at rewarding creators. In June, Vishal Shal, Instagram's VP of Product, tweeted about an affiliate tool that will let "creators earn commissions for purchases they drive." And recent reports now suggest that Instagram is also exploring the option of allowing creators to post exclusive content (similar to Twitter's new pending "Super Follow" option). This means creators will be able to post content that only Fans can see. Expect to see more features that reward creators as the social media platforms battle for dominance.

 The Future 

So much has changed since Instagram officially launched in October 2010. The company's co-founders — Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger — wanted to bring technology and photography together, and focused on beautiful filters to make the images really stand out. They are no longer with the company, which was famously purchased by Facebook for $1 billion in 2012. And now, as Instagram enters its pre-teen years, it's clear that it's trying to grow into a different kind of app. Stay tuned...

Book Recommendation: If you're curious about the history of Instagram, I highly recommend  No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram by Sarah Frier.

Managing social media is hard enough — staying up-to-date shouldn't be. Level up your social media knowledge in minutes a week. Sign up for our newsletter today!

 SOCIAL SNACKS 

TikTok adds minutes to the clock

The video-looping app, TikTok, recently announced that it's going to give its users more time on the clock. Instead of a 60-second limit, creators will soon be able to "film, upload, and edit videos up to three minutes in length directly within TikTok," the company said in a statement. The feature is currently being tested with a small group of creators, but once it rolls out more widely, users will be notified within the app.

Instagram tests links in Story Stickers

While many social media managers would agree that a Twitter "edit" button would be great, perhaps even higher on the priority list is the ability to post links on Instagram Stories (currently, only verified accounts or those with 10,000+ followers can do that). But according to The Verge, that feature might soon become more widely available. Instagram is reportedly testing adding links in Stories using a Sticker to see how people use them and what they link to. But Vishal Shah says there are no plans to add links to the feed or any other section of Instagram. 

 ICYMI 

🔴 Twitter announces stronger security [Twitter Blog]

🔴 Facebook announces its newsletter platform, Bulletin [Facebook Blog]

🔴 Instagram helps amplify Black-owned businesses [Instagram Blog]

🔴 LinkedIn responds to reports of data breach [Entrepreneur]

🔴 Pinterest embraces body acceptance with new ad policy [Pinterest Blog]

 SAFER SOCIAL MEDIA 

Stop online abuse. That was the message that a group of 200 high-profile women — including actress Emma Watson and former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard — made in an open letter published at the UN Generation Equality Forum. The letter was addressed to the chief executives of Facebook, Google, TikTok and Twitter. In response, Facebook announced a new Women's Safety Hub, TikTok said it's going to test some product changes, and Twitter said it's also committed to making its space safer. 

THE STATS

"38% of women globally have directly experienced online abuse. This figure rises to 45% for Gen Zs and Millennials. For women of colour, for Black women in particular, for women from the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalised groups — the abuse is often far worse."
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit

 TOP TWEETS 

Stop playin'

Twitter was aflutter with sports news this week — some sweet, and some sour.

Sweet: Messages of congratulations poured onto Twitter after Canadian boxer Mandy Bujold won her court battle to compete at the Olympic Games this summer. Bujold has previously been disqualified because the International Olympic Committee's qualification period was during a time when Bujold was pregnant and postpartum. That decision has now been overturned. Bujold was ranked second in the world before her maternity leave in 2018.

Sour: U.S. Olympic sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson has been suspended for one month after testing positive for marijuana (which many argue would actually slow you down). Richardson, who came in first in the 100-metre sprint at the U.S. Track and Field Trials, accepted her fate in a series of tweets. But according to the NY Times, she may still be able to qualify to run in the 4x100 relay race at the Olympics.

Hey, congrats — you made it to the bottom of the e-newsletter!
If you really liked it, why not forward it to a friend. 💌