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Just Another Day in Social Media. 😉

A post by Meta head honcho Mark Zuckerberg recently went viral, but not in a good way. What was apparently meant to be a quick announcement about Facebook's Horizon Worlds launching in France and Spain instead kicked off a meme-fest. Many were shocked by the simplistic graphics in the post, and the feedback was so intense that Zuckerberg responded to explain why it looked "pretty basic." He said: "The graphics in Horizon are capable of much more -- even on headsets -- and Horizon is improving very quickly." If you say so. 🤷‍♀️😂

Here are today's top stories: 

• Get used to seeing more video on Instagram (no matter what anyone says)

• Facebook is out. TikTok is in (for U.S. teens)

• Google is launching a "helpful content update"

• And fly away, Pixy... fly away

 The Reels-ality  

Who knew that Reels was going to be one of Instagram's most controversial features?! The last few weeks have been intense. Between Instagram pushing out new Reels and video updates, and celebrities pushing back against the platform's attempts to be more like TikTok, a lot has happened. Let's take a look back and see where it started, where we are now, and what all of this means for anyone who uses/manages social media. Let's go!

 The Background  
It's been three years since Instagram launched Reels, which the company acknowledged was straight up a copy of TikTok. Ok, fine. We all played along, while still using Instagram the way we always have — to post pictures and graphics to the Grid and Stories. Reels wasn't really catching on, so in November 2020, Instagram decided to add Reels (and Shopping) tabs into the Home Screen navigation. But even after that changed, it seemed like many people were just reposting TikToks to Reels. Instagram warned us that if we did that, those videos would get lower reach than "original" content. And then this summer, things got a bit more intense with Instagram announcing in June that it was testing a full-screen feed, similar to TikTok. And by July, the company said that ALL videos would now be Reels. (For reals? Yes). And (celebrity) users seemed to have had enough...

 Try Keeping Up  
Kylie Jenner — who single-handedly caused Snapchat to lose $1.3 billion in value when she rebuffed the app after a redesign — posted to her Instagram Story in July what most of us were already thinking: "MAKE INSTAGRAM INSTAGRAM AGAIN. (stop trying to be like tiktok I just want to see cute photos of my friends.) Sincerely, Everyone". But that didn't scare Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. He responded with an Instagram video confirming the full-screen home feed was a "test." But he also basically said that video is here to stay, and we should all get used to it. 😳 Influencer James Charles replied by saying: "The reason there’s so much growth for video is because we are being FORCED to post video." It's a good point, tbh. Meanwhile, stories like this one "Instagram Sucks Now, Sorry" are starting to pop up with more frequency.

 And Now, More Features 
Despite the backlash, not that much has changed. Sure, the full-screen home feed test has disappeared from my accounts. But Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri recently announced even more features for Reels, including:

• The ability to cross post from IG to Facebook Reels

• "Add Yours" prompt stickers for Reels

• And more insights for Facebook Reels

 What This Mean For Us 
Removing the full-screen home feed (which cuts off captions, similar to TikTok) means we won't have to adjust our text (for now). But the focus on Reels/video isn't going anywhere. And we're just going to have to adjust. 

If you're just getting started with Reels, aim to try one per week, or even every two weeks. And don't aim to create a super complicated video likes the ones you see trending on Instagram (or TikTok). 

Start by posting a single video with some music. Or scroll through and find audio you like on another Reel and trying using that over one of your videos (to save audio: click on the image in the bottom right-hand corner, which takes you to a screen where you can select the "save audio" button). Or if you're feeling more adventurous, you might want to explore using templates. Here's a Reels template how-to from Later.

Good luck! 

SOCIAL SNACKS

Top Platforms Used by U.S. Teens

Facebook is out. TikTok is in.

According to a recent Pew Research Centre Study of U.S. teens aged 13-17, social media use has seen a dramatic shift over the last eight years (a lifetime in the social media world, honestly). 

While TikTok only launched in 2017, 67% of surveyed teens said they use it, and 16% said they use it almost constantly.

Meanwhile, Facebook usage among U.S. teens has dropped from 71% in 2014-2015 to 32% in 2022. 

TikTok isn't the only favourite. Snapchat also saw big growth, going from 41% to 59% in that same time frame (and 15% of surveyed teens said they use this app almost constantly). Instagram use also grew from 52% to 62%. 

But the most popular platform by far is... YouTube. It is used by 95% of U.S. teens (and 19% of surveyed teens said they use it almost constantly). 

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!

 ICYMI 

🔴 Instagram says it will fix sound issue on Reels exports [The Verge]

🔴 TikTok browser can track users' keystrokes, according to new research [NY Times]

🔴 YouTube announces new targeting options for CTV campaigns, improved CTV buying tools [Social Media Today]

🔴 LinkedIn reveals what shows up in your feed, and why [LinkedIn Blog]

🔴 Meta tests end-to-end encrypted backups and more on Messenger [Meta Blog]

 GOOGLE'S HELPFUL CONTENT UPDATE 

Expect your Google searches to look a little bit different starting next week. That's because Google is "rolling out a series of improvements to Search to make it easier for people to find helpful content made by, and for, people." The so-called "helpful content update" will aim to filter out low quality content, and "improve results related to online education, as well as arts and entertainment, shopping and tech-related content." I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Gen Z doesn't use Google to search 🤔

 EARLY-ADOPTION FAIL 

Fly Away, Pixy... Fly Away

I have never been an early adopter of anything. So, it was a bit out of character for me when I decided to purchase the Pixy — Snapchat's newest piece of hardware. This yellow, handheld drone was announced in April, and it wasn't long before I was texting my brother in the U.S. to ask him to purchase it for me (It was only for sale in the U.S. and France).

But now it looks like I've actually purchased a piece of vintage social media hardware, because Snapchat appears to be scrapping development on the mini drone. According to The Wall Street Journal, the current version is still for sale, but Snapchat isn't planning to invest in any future R&D amid disappointing sales growth numbers. Guess I'll just have to enjoy it while I can! 

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