February 2024 Digital News Updates: Meta Sees Results, LinkedIn Makes Changes, and TikTok Gets Funny

Facebook and Meta News Updates

• Meta Launches New Transparency Around AI – The new update will aim to identify and label content made with AI. The goal is to provide more transparency to users and prevent false information on the sites.
• Political Ads will be Flagged for AI Content – As political ads heat up in the US and globally, Meta has announced that it will flag ads that use AI or other editing/manipulation. For example, an ad from Ron Desantis altered images and audio that Meta flagged.
• Meta Quarterly Results – Facebook continues to grow (despite negative news narratives). Revenue is also up significantly. This shows that Facebook and Meta aren’t going anywhere – they are only getting bigger.
• Threads has 130 Million Active Monthly Users – This is great news for the new social network. They continue to grow users and active users. As they look to increase features and further embed the content in other Meta platforms, this will likely continue to grow.
• Facebook Launches New Video Ad Metric – Engaged view aims to link views to conversions. “Engaged-view can be counted in ads measurement reporting when someone plays your video ads for a minimum of 10 seconds (or watches 97% of the video length if it’s less than 10 seconds) and converts within a 1-day window.”
• Meta Ads Removes some Core Audience Targeting – The announcement isn’t specific about what is being removed, but you can see if your ads are impacted in the ads manager. Ads with outdated targeting will run until mid-March, so check your ads for issues and adapt in the next month.
• Meta Launches IP Protection Center – If you have trademarked images or products, you can now register with Meta. They will actively look for others infringing on your IP and report it to you.
• Meta Rolls Out Advantage+ Targeting to All Ad Objectives – This targeting uses AI to find the right people for your ad. It shows the focus on AI optimization vs. manual targeting.
• Threads API is Coming Soon – This will allow you to post via third-party tools.

Instagram News Updates

• Reels Get More Views vs. TikTok – A new study shows that Reels get more views vs. TikTok videos. The visibility of Reels is HUGE despite the hype of TikTok.

LinkedIn News Updates

• New Tabs in Network Make it Easier to Catchup – This new feature separates contacts in your network to make it easier to stay relevant with your network. It separates new connection opportunities from calls to action to reach out to your existing network. This is a great way to find prompts to help you engage with your network.
• LinkedIn is Removing Creator Mode – Most features will be available to all users. But they are removing creator mode as a separate identifier of an account.
• LinkedIn Grows Users with Record Engagement Rates – The financial report from Microsoft shows the LinkedIn platform continues to grow.

TikTok News Updates

• TikTok Loses Universal Music Library – This is huge, as Universal Music (like Taylor Swift, Drake, and other top artists) accounts for over 50% of the music in some markets. Not only will Universal Music not be available, but the content that uses it will either be deleted or muted.
• TikTok Prompts Users to Add Search Shortcut to Homescreen – TikTok is increasingly known as a search engine. People search for products, how to do things, and inspiration. This move shows TikTok is driving people there.
• TikTok Tells Brands How to be Funny – This new guide focuses on helping brands add humor to their ads. Check this out if you need some inspiration.

X (Formerly Twitter) News Updates

• X Launches AI Content Guidelines – After AI-generated nude photos of Taylor Swift flooded X, she reportedly was considering legal action. In response, X removed any results for Taylor Swift in searches on the platform and has launched new safeguards.
• Advertisers Flee X and Other Social Platforms See Growth – Instagram, Snapchat, and even LinkedIn show growth in ad spend as advertisers leave X. This leads to higher prices and more competition on the platform.

Digital News Update

• Google Starts the Rollout of Removing Third-Party Cookies – This will apply to 1% of Chrome users and is the first step toward the removal that has been discussed for years.
• Research Shows TikTok is Hot and Growing With Young Generations – This new report shows that TikTok is still a big player with younger generations. They also watch more video content on YouTube than any other streaming service. If you are targeting young audiences, these are worth paying attention to.
• SnapChat Positions Itself as the Antidote to Social Media – The new positioning focuses on the competitive differentiators of SnapChat. It isn’t about popularity – it is about private sharing and fun.
• New Research Shows Most Creators Don’t Make Much Money – 96% of creators make under $100K.