Social Media Updates 2020
Reading Time: 13 minutesThe only thing that is constant, is change – particularly when it comes to social media. Every week I review a number of websites so that I can share all the changes in a weekly email newsletter, and update this blog post.
They include new features, retired features, brand refreshes, financial reporting, algorithm updates and more. To review all the changes from 2019, read this blog.
If you would like to receive updates straight to your email inbox at 10.15am (UK) every Monday morning, subscribe here.
If you would like to discuss what the changes mean to you and your business, get in touch.
May
- LinkedIn has released its latest Transparency Report, addressing government requests we received as well as our own actions to remove inappropriate content and fake accounts from LinkedIn in the July-December 2019 reporting period. Read more from LinkedIn.
April
- Microsoft has reported that LinkedIn is now up to 690 million members, though it’s predicted a slowdown in revenue growth due to COVID-19. Read more from Social Media Today.
- LinkedIn is making its new Stories feature available to users in Brazil, while it’s also added new settings and details in the main app as it prepares for a wider launch of the function. Read more from Social Media Today.
- LinkedIn adds new video intro and interview assessment tools to improve digital recruitment. Read more from LinkedIn.
- LinkedIn has released two new forms of company targeting to boost B2B lead generation – the new target types, Company Category and Company Growth Rate, use data from Forbes and Fortune as well as LinkedIn’s own observable, behavioural data. Read more from Search Engine Land.
- LinkedIn Events is now available to all pages to assist with connectivity amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Read more from Social Media Today.
March
- LinkedIn has shared how they have approached managing the COVID-19 crisis, and how they’re thinking about the path ahead. Read more, here.
- LinkedIn rolls out Conversation Ads, aimed at to improving personalization in messaging. Read more from LinkedIn.
- Using LinkedIn to stay informed and connected: resources to help navigate work and Coronavirus. Read more from LinkedIn.
- LinkedIn launches Spotify playlists for career development processes. Read more from Social Media Today.
February
- LinkedIn’s head of consumer product, Pete Davies, has confirmed they are testing Stories. Read more, here.
- LinkedIn has added a new ‘Fair Chance’ job search filter to help people with a criminal record find employers that are open to hiring them. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Linkedin launches new ‘featured’ section on profiles to highlight key achievements and links. Read more from Social Media Today.
- LinkedIn’s vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. To better understand how people define opportunity and the barriers they face in accessing it, they have published their first global LinkedIn Opportunity Index. This research gives a view into how people around the world think about opportunity: their attitudes, their realities, and the challenges they face.
Read more, from LinkedIn. - ‘We call it breaking views’ – how LinkedIn’s growing editorial team shapes its news feed. Useful insight via The Drum.CEO Jeff Weiner to move into Executive Chairman role and Ryan Roslansky, Senior Vice President of Product, to become CEO on June 1st. Read more, from LinkedIn.
- LinkedIn has rolled out several new features for Sales Navigator to make it easier to add leads from the sales prospecting platform to Salesforce, share content within a Sales Navigator account, get alerts when a company account shows signs of growth and more. Read more, (from MarketingLand)
- LinkedIn has announced that on March 18, it will shut down Sales Navigator for Gmail, an extension that provided further information about the person you were emailing in Gmail, which was formerly known as Rapportive. Read more (from Techcrunch).
- Microsoft has once again reported that LinkedIn saw ‘record levels of engagement’ over the last three months of 2019, while the platform also continues to expand its audience across the globe. Read more, from Social Media Today.
January
- LinkedIn has announced that it will merge the functionality of its Elevate employee advocacy program into its company pages tools. Core Elevate functionality will be available in Pages by December 2020, at which point Elevate will no longer be available as a standalone app. Read more, from LinkedIn.
May
- Twitter begins live testing of new controls over who can reply to your Tweets. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter has removed custom camera captions and larger image presentation format. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter is now turning on the algorithm timeline for everyone and leaving it up to you if you want to opt-out. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter is rolling out changes to threaded conversations. Read more from Techcrunch.
- In its latest effort to deal with harassment on its platform, Twitter is looking into giving users a second chance before they tweet. In a new feature, the company is testing, users who use “harmful” language will see a prompt suggesting that they self-edit before posting a reply. Read more from Techcrunch.
April
- Twitter Q1: sales up 3% to $808M as it swings to a loss on COVID-19. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter has switched off its option to access tweets via SMS in most regions after a new issue was discovered in its systems. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter is making it possible for developers and researchers to study the public conversation around COVID-19 in real time with an update to its API platform. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Twitter notifies users that it’s now sharing more data with advertisers (users in Europe are the exception). Read more from The Verge.
- Twitter will now allow some brands to make reference to COVID-19 in ads. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter has announced an update to its Explore tab, which will see all Explore listings become more location-specific. Read more from Social Media Today.
March
- Twitter says user numbers are up amid COVID-19 lockdown, but warn of revenue impacts. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter has provided some examples of positive and responsible ways to communicate amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter reawakens profile verification to help identify authoritative voices on COVID-19 outbreak. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter has launched an update for its Go Live with Guests feature which enables users to invite guests into the stream before it begins. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter Offers Advice for Brand Communications Amid Coronavirus Outbreak. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Jack Dorsey set to retain Twitter CEO role amid investor group challenge. Read more from Social Media Today.
- A new Twitter client finally gives us the power to edit tweets — sort of. Read more from The Verge.
- Twitter starts testing its own version of Stories, called ‘Fleets’, which disappear after 24 hours. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Twitter lists as alternate feeds option is now available on Android devices. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter has updated its hate speech policies to cover tweets that make dehumanizing remarks, which are remarks that treat “others as less than human,” on the basis of age, disability, or disease. Read more from The Verge.
February
- Twitter acquires Stories template maker Chroma Labs. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Twitter adds new an option to add new Tweets into old Tweet threads. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter is testing a new notification tag on identified misinformation. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Twitter reports $1.01b in Q4 revenue, with 152m monetizable daily active users. Read more, from Techcrunch.
- Twitter says AI tweet recommendations helped it add millions of users. Read more, from The Verge.
- Twitter’s manipulated media policy will remove harmful tweets & voter suppression. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Twitter has given conversations a makeover on iOS. When people you follow are in a conversation, you’ll see their replies in a new way in your Home timeline. The new layout makes it easier to see who’s replying to who so you can join in on relevant conversations. Read more, from The Verge.
January
- Twitter is rolling out iMessage-like reactions feature to direct messages. Read more, from 9to5Mac.
- Twitter users will soon have four options to “tailor” the replies to their tweets: anyone can reply, only those followed by the user can reply, only those tagged can reply, or setting a tweet to allow no replies at all. Read more (from Techcrunch).
- Twitter is bringing twttr’s experiments in threaded conversations to its main app. Read more (from TechCrunch).
- Twitter has created a new hub for academic researchers to more easily access information and support around its APIs. Read more (from Techcrunch).
- Twitter launches Promoted Trend Spotlight – a new takeover ad unit in the Explore tab. Read more (from MarketingLand).
- Twitter is removing the audience insights element from Twitter Analytics. Read more (from Social Media Today).
- As part of its increased focus on Lists, Twitter has shared that they are working on a range of list updates, including new activity details, location sorting and custom images for List headers. Read more (from Social Media Today).
May
- Facebook is launching Facebook Shops and investing in features across their family of apps that inspire people to shop and make selling online easier. Read more from Facebook.
- Facebook is also working on a range of more advanced AR and AI-based tools to improve the online shopping experience. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has outlined some new tools for its Workplace professional platform in order to help connect the rising number of people working from home. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook is updating its Creator Studio app with post creation functionality. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has begun testing mid roll ads in video clips, which could provide new considerations for video campaigns. Read more from Social Media Today.
- After months of testing, Facebook’s redesign is finally official (and until you get it, the option to update manually is available, too). Read more from Techcrunch.
- Facebook has added gift cards, jobs, and donation tools to its COVID-19 community help hub. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Facebook is updating its group settings to stop any Facebook Group, of any size, from changing its settings from ‘private’ to ‘public’, in order to protect group users from unintended exposure. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook’s new Oversight Board has announced its first members, marking a fundamental change in the way some of the most difficult and significant decisions around content on its platforms will be made. Read more from Facebook.
- Facebook’s Director of Product Management Rob Leathern has provided an overview of where the platform currently stands on advertiser verification, and how it’s looking to improve its systems in order to ensure that more businesses are verified, increasing ad transparency, and system integrity, into the future. Read more from Social Media Today.
April
- Facebook has published its latest earnings report, showing double-digit increases users and revenue – though it has warned of a more significant slowdown on the horizon. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook expands access to option to transfer your photos and videos to Google photos. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook advertisers concerned with brand safety can now choose to exclude ads from appearing in Live content. Read more from MarketingLand.
- Facebook is introducing ‘Messenger Rooms’ where you will be able to invite up to 50 people to join a video call, even if they don’t have a Facebook account. Read more from Facebook.
- Facebook is bringing back ‘Live With’ so you can add another person into your live video. Read more from Facebook.
- Soon you will be able to mark Facebook Events as online only and, integrate Facebook Live so you can broadcast to your guests. Facebook also plans to add the ability for Pages to charge for access to events with Live videos on Facebook. Source: Facebook
- In an effort to improve transparency in the lead up to the US election, Facebook will now list the primary location from where a Facebook or Instagram page is managed on the post itself. Read more from Facebook.
- Facebook is abandoning its push to have all advertisers to switch to its automated Campaign Budget Optimization process, which would have seen the removal of manual ad set budgeting options from the available tools for ad management. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook is looking to tap into the rising popularity of gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic with the launch of a new, dedicated Facebook Gaming app which incorporates gaming content, play options and groups. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook Avatars, which lets users customize a virtual lookalike of themselves for use as stickers in chat and comments, is now available across Europe. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Facebook adds a ‘care’ reaction to the like button. Read more from The Verge.
- Facebook has added some new data points to its Ad Library listings to improve transparency and insight. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook adds new options to mute group members for longer periods of time. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook provides new templates to help brands communicate key messages during COVID-19 shutdowns. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook rolls out hours and services update for COVID-19 communications. Read more from MarketingLand.
- Facebook’s new ‘Quiet Mode’ option lets you turn off the app’s push notifications. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Facebook announces new annual app check-up process to detect potential data misuse. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook adds new tools for groups to help ensure members are getting accurate COVID-19 information. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has launched a new app, this time focused on facilitating interaction between romantic partners, within their own, private space. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook is launching a new option that will enable gamers to organize their own tournaments. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has introduced a new Messenger desktop app for group video calls and chats. Read more from Facebook.
- Facebook adds new video features, including ‘series’ and updates to bulk uploader. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has added a new ‘Experiments’ section to Ads Manager, which provides a central home for all your Facebook ad tests and results. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has updated its tools that allow you to easily view and download data about how you have used their services, on both Facebook and Instagram. Read more from Facebook.
- Facebook is working on a new Auto Status function for Messenger, which would enable users to share what they’re up to with friends, even without actively posting. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook adds gift card discovery tool, service impact listings to help businesses impacted by COVID-19. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has launched a new ‘Community Help’ platform, where people can either offer assistance to others in their community, or request help with tasks. Read more from Social Media Today.
March
- Facebook is working to keep its systems operating, and seeing lower ad spend amid COVID-19 lockdown. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook adds new tools for Facebook Live amid rising demand and usage. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has released new digital literacy resources for kids and parents, tips for supporting remote workers. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has launched a new Messenger COVID-19 community hub to highlight key connectivity tools. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook is launching a $100M grants program to help the small business community weather the challenges related to the COVID-19 outbreak. They will be posting more information over the next few weeks around eligibility and the full application process. In the meantime, you can visit facebook.com/grantsforbusiness/
- Facebook now lets most users opt-in to dark mode & desktop redesign. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Facebook has added a new ‘Mood’ mode for the Facebook Stories camera, which enables you to create a GIF-centric Stories frame conveying a chosen feeling. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook is testing a new option which would connect brand loyalty programs to in-app activity. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook Warns of Ad Approval Delays Amid Staff Changes Due to COVID-19 Impacts. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Facebook has launched a new Business Resource Hub which aims to provide support for all businesses affected – directly or indirectly – by the coronavirus outbreak, with tips and links to resources to help brands navigate the impacts and maintain their operations.
- Facebook is testing the option to cross-post Stories to Instagram, instead of just vice-versa. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Facebook gives its main function menu a colourful refresh. Read more from Social Media Today.
February
- Facebook’s Creator Studio is now available as a mobile app for both iOS and Android. Similar to the desktop hub, the Creator Studio app allows users to track how their content is performing across Facebook Pages, as well as publish, schedule and make adjustments to posts, respond to fan messages and more. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Facebook Messenger is getting a new simpler design. Read more from The Verge.
- Facebook is now testing a new “Top Admins and Moderators” insights stream, which would provide an overview of the total activity levels of each assigned group admin and moderator. Read more (from Social Media Today).
- Facebook has announced a new agreement with Reuters which will see the company work with The Social Network to detect and address misinformation on its platform. Read more (from Social Media Today).
- Facebook has added a new ‘one-time notification’ messaging option for businesses to get in touch with customers and update them on relevant info. Read more, from Social Media Today.
- Facebook reported another record quarter on Wednesday but warned that privacy regulations will limit ad targeting capabilities and slow the future revenue growth. Read more, from MarketingLand
- Facebook has shared details of the work they are doing to give you more control over your privacy, including:
- Prompting people to review their privacy settings
- Giving you more control of your off-Facebook activity
- Introducing alerts for third-party logins
January
- Facebook’s updated desktop layout is now appearing for more users. Read more (from Social Media Today).
- New features will allow people to see fewer political and social issue ads on Facebook and Instagram. Read more (from Facebook).
- Facebook has updated the Privacy Checkup tool to help you strengthen your account security and control who can see what you share and how your information is used. Read more (from Facebook).
- Facebook quietly announced a new feature coming later this month that will allow users to control whether or not an advertiser can show ads to them using a Custom Audience list. Read more (from MarketingLand).
- Facebook has added new ‘Page Management History’ tab in Page tools. Read more (from Social Media Today).
- Facebook removed the option to sign up for Messenger without a connected Facebook account. Read more (from Social Media Today).
- Facebook added some new elements to its Instant Articles offering for publishers, including a new function bar and Stories links. Read more (from Social Media Today).
May
- Instagram has introduced ‘Guides’, a way to more easily discover recommendations, tips and other content from your favourite creators, public figures, organisations and publishers. The first guides available focus on wellness content. Read more from Instagram.
- Instagram has shared new guidelines and product improvements around music in Instagram and Facebook videos and livestreams. Read more from Instagram.
- Instagram users can now create Messenger rooms from their Instagram Direct inbox. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram is testing new ways to navigate through your Stories feed. Read more from Social Media Today.
April
- Instagram has introduced live donations to help support causes you care about. Read more from Instagram.
- Instagram is adding some new font types for Stories. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram launches #MonthofGood initiative to inspire connection during Ramadan. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram updates IGTV app and adds new IGTV preview option for Stories. Read more from Social Media Today.
- You can now stream Instagram Live videos directly on your desktop. Read more from Business Insider.
- Instagram launches ‘Thank You Hour’ sticker and story to share appreciation during COVID-19 pandemic. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram launches new ‘I stay home for’ sticker to promote COVID-19 containment efforts. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Everyone can now access Instagram DMs on the web. Read more from The Verge.
- Instagram is partnering with Netflix on a new self care series for young adults. Read more from Social Media Today.
March
- Instagram launches new co-watching feature to help users connect amid COVID-19 lockdown. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram is to roll-out IGTV advertising in challenge to YouTube. Read more from Bloomberg.
- Instagram’s testing a new set of animated selfie stickers for Stories. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram is testing a new option to promote the sale of gift cards via your business profile. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram had launched a new ‘Stay Home’ sticker that you can find in Stories. If you use the sticker, your photo or video will be added to a shared Instagram story where people can see how you’re staying home and staying safe. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram is working on a disappearing messages option within its direct tools. Read more from Social Media Today.
- Instagram and Facebook won’t feature any new augmented reality effects in the immediate future. Read more from The Verge.
- Instagram is embracing its potential as a news source through a new call-out at the top of its homescreen feed. Read more from Techcrunch.
- Instagram is testing the capability to restrict multiple accounts at once. Read more from Social Media Today.
February
- Instagram launches new appears process for disabled accounts. Read more (from Social Media Today).
- Instagram is changing its advertising rules to require political campaigns’ sponsored posts from influencers to use its Branded Content Ads tool that adds a disclosure label of “Paid Partnership with.”
Read more (from Techcrunch). - Instagram brought in $20 billion in ad revenue last year, more than a quarter of Facebook’s earnings. Read more, from The Verge.
- Instagram Rolls Out Option to Reply to Stories With GIFs. Read more, from Social Media Today.
- Instagram is working on a new video trimming feature for Instagram Stories, which would be a welcome update for creators. Read more, from Social Media Today.
- Instagram prototypes letting IGTV creators monetize with ads. Read more, from Techcrunch.
- Instagram now lets you see which accounts you interact with the most and least. Read more, from The Verge.
- Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first person to reach the 200 million followers mark on Instagram and this tally is only bettered by the social media platform itself with 330M followers.
January
- New Instagram Stories tool lets you quickly feature Story mentions from other users. Read more, from Marketing Land.
- Instagram has added new SloMo, Echo and Duo modes to Boomerang. Read more (from TechCrunch).
