Social media updates and new features to know this week
Updates from Meta, Reddit, LinkedIn and more.
Want to keep using business accounts on Meta platforms? Hope you’re OK with Meta scraping your website.
A new change to Meta’s terms of service, effective Oct. 30, says that use of business features of the site means you’re consenting to their web scrapers collecting data from your site, Nieman Lab reported.
This has far-reaching effects beyond the obvious. Besides simply being able to scrape web copy and sales catalogs, the scrapers would also be able to collect journalistic content from news sites. The modified terms of service explicitly say that the content can be used to train LLMs.
There is currently no opt-out available.
Let’s see what else is new in the world of social media.
Meta
Meta is unveiling a new type of ads known as Ads Super Burst. This allows advertisers to choose a 3- to 24-hour window during which their ads will receive a “TV-like scale.”
Other new ad categories include testing First Impression Ads, which would show up first when users open the app. Reels Trending Ads would allow content placement alongside the hottest content in real-time.
Users will soon be able to better control their personal algorithms. They’ll be able to add topics they either want to see more of — or what they want to remove from their feed. Additionally, after clicking “interested” or “not interested” on individual pieces of content, the app may follow up with specific questions about what users like or don’t like. Users can respond with natural language to describe their feelings.
Reels
When creating Reels for either Facebook or Instagram, users can choose to keep a reference video on screen while they film. References must be at least 90 seconds long and can be used to help match a trend.
Edits
Edits is making it easier for creators to share within the app. Users can:
- Add clickable links to the audio used
- Discover topics your audience is most interested in
- Create brand-style “Kits” with your colors, fonts and more
- Play with 50 new video effects
WhatsApp is adding guest calling so anyone can join a call from within the app, even if they don’t have an account. Hosts can invite even non-app users to group calls with up to 32 people with no calling limits. Guests can also use features like screen sharing and emojis.
The app says calendar integrations are on the way soon.
In another new feature centered on teen safety, parents can now see which accounts their teen has blocked to better understand who they’re interacting with (or who they don’t want seeing their content).
YouTube
Conversational search tool Ask YouTube (read: AI chatbot) is now available on mobile devices in addition to web and TVs. As YouTube put it: “This reimagined, conversational search tool allows users to ask complex queries, refine with follow-up questions, and receive results in an interactive format, whether they’re on the go or using voice commands from the couch.”
YouTube Music is also more clearly labeling music where “AI played a significant role” from within the player.
Reddit has released a lengthy, public-facing page explaining how the platform will protect users from inauthentic content during the U.S. midterm elections. Most of the programs aren’t new, but are rather explaining existing rules and highlighting updated programming, especially around AI. Take a look at what they’re up to.
The briefcase app is going big on creators. They’re highlighting a suite of creator-focused tools, as well as a new all-in-one dashboard that allows influencers to see audience and content analytics at a glance, as well as manage drafts and scheduled content.
They’ve also rolled out several handy new features, including a new digital business card, the ability to pin top comments under a post, a Network feed to help you stay connected to those you actually know, and profile notes to help you keep track of those connections.
X
Last but not least, X has released a mega bundle of services, allowing users to subscribe to Grok, Grok Bot, Cursor and X Premium. The prices range from a free tier all the way up to $200 a month, based on usage.
Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.
