Social News for January 2023

Keep up with the trend and stay ahead of the game by knowing what’s hot online. This blog post will provide an overview of some of the in-demand digital buzz everyone is talking about as of January 2023.

Social Apps On The Rise

• A new report from data.ai shows that people are spending more time than ever on social media apps in 2022. The BeReal app did well this year, but it still didn’t make it to the top of the most downloaded apps list. Meta is still the number one app, but TikTok did well in most markets. Check out the annual overview of app performance trends, highlighting all the key shifts and developments of note in 2022.

Meta Buzz

• Meta is expanding its Ad Targeting restrictions for Teens, upping its data privacy processes for young users, with new restrictions on how teens can be targeted by ads in its apps. Meta will be using only age and location to target teens for ads. Meta is also adding a new Ad Control Center. This will enable teens to opt out of ad topics if they want to.
• Meta is shutting down its ‘Creator Studio’ page management app. Creator Studio users will be pushed across to the Business Suite platform, which has analytics, scheduling, and messaging in one new management app.

Instagram Buzz

• Instagram is adding a new ‘Quiet Mode’ to help users take breaks from the app. This mode will notify your contacts when you’re offline. Instagram is also adding new manual content controls to improve its recommendations. Finally, Instagram is adding new settings update alerts for parents.
• Instagram Chief says photos will get more focus on the app in 2023

“I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far, and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos. We’ve since balanced, so things like how often someone likes photos versus videos, and how often someone comments on photos versus videos, are roughly equal, which is a good sign that things are balanced.”

Mosseri

• Instagram adds dynamic profile photos which can be flipped to show your Meta avatar – Instagram now has a new feature that lets you add an alternative avatar profile photo, which users can then ‘flip’ in-stream.

TikTok Buzz

• TikTok is talking to the US government about new ways to show how the app algorithmics works. Some US states are trying to ban TikTok on government-owned devices. Politicians weigh accusations that the app has been used to spy on US journalists, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is reportedly willing to make changes to its deal with US officials in order to avoid a ban in the United States.

LinkedIn Buzz

• LinkedIn now has 900 million members and continues to see ‘record levels’ of engagement. – LinkedIn has seen incredible success in the recent quarter, with engagement metrics reaching their highest levels yet. Total user sessions have grown by an impressive 18%, showcasing just how much potential this platform holds, according to the latest data from parent company Microsoft.

YouTube Buzz

• Starting February 1st, YouTube is introducing a new income sharing system for eligible creators on Shorts. This process will allow ads to be displayed between the clips shared across the app, allowing content producers to monetize their video.

Twitter Buzz

• Twitter just announced their newest and most innovative feature: a swipeable timeline that allows users to effortlessly toggle between the algorithmic main feed (which includes recommended tweets from people you don’t follow) and an up-to-date stream of posts only coming from users who do follow!