September 2023 Digital News Updates: Facebook Hits 3B Users and ChatGPT Goes Enterprise

Facebook and Meta News Updates

• Facebook Surpasses 3 Billion Monthly Active Users– No, Facebook is not dead. It actually has 50% of the world’s population logging in every month! Facebook is huge, relevant, and here to stay.
• Meta Launches Audio AI Tool– AudioCraft is a generative AI from Meta with three different models: MusicGen, AudioGen, and EnCodec. Why is this noteworthy? These updated apps allow you to create or change audio from text or patterns. This is worth checking out. 
• Facebook News in Europe– Facebook will now be reducing the sharing of news links on the platform by moving the visibility of new related content because of disputes with publishers in the UK, France, and Germany.
• Meta Adds Screen Sharing to WhatsApp– Video calls just got more exciting for WhatsApp! You can now share your screen on calls, which makes this app more user-friendly for small business owners. 
• Metaverse Could Reach $900B by 2030– According to new research by Bain & Company, the metaverse could reach $900B by 2030. They believe it will stay in the “seed” stage for another 5 years before it experiences major growth. 

Threads News Updates

• Meta Launches New Elements– Meta is rolling out updates and continuing to develop Threads. This update includes voice notes, reposts, and a new search function that is being beta-tested. 

Instagram News Updates

• 98.4% of US Creators Share on Instagram First– This is a huge statistic for our creators earning their living on social media. If you are a creator and you focus on exceptional content, try Instagram!
• Instagram Adds Music to Carousels– While the best practice is to design for sound off, you should add music to carousels and pictures if you think it adds to the story’s narrative.
• Instagram Adds Collabs and ‘Add Yours’ Stickers– It is all about collaboration! In these new features, you are prompted to co-author posts, carousels, or Reels. Additionally, you can engage your followers to ‘Add Yours’ to Reels challenges.

LinkedIn News Updates

• LinkedIn Adds New Newsletter Updates– This is a great way to repurpose your newsletters. Pro Tip: Be sure to wait a week before you re-post from your blog. You want your blog to be the first in Google, not LinkedIn. Remember not to think this, and start re-posting!

 TikTok Update

• TikTok Adds AI-Generated Labels– New TikTok rules mean that you must label your AI content and be transparent about it on the platform. You could face your content being taken down according to the new rules on the platform.

YouTube News Update

• YouTube Adds Shorts Links– You can now link Shorts to other videos on your channel. YouTube is doing this to curb spam (YAY!). You also can no longer post links in comments or descriptions. 
• YouTube Shorts Adds Collab and Q&A– YouTube follows TikTok and Instagram and adds collaboration features to Shorts. If you use shorts, be sure to check out these new creator tools. 

Digital Marketing News Update

• Google My Business Adds Social Linking– You can finally add your social media links to your Google My Business Profiles. Now is perfect if you haven’t updated your profile in a while. 
•  80% of Marketers Use AI Tools– The most common is ChatGPT, then CopyAI, and Jasper.AI.
• ChatGPT:
  • ChatGPT Launches 6 New Features– Some of the new upgrades to GPT-4 include suggested replies, keyboard shortcuts, new prompt examples, and multi-file upload capabilities. 
  • 18% of Americans Have Used ChatGPT– A new Pew Research shows that 18% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT. 
  • ChatGPT Enterprise Launches– GPT-4 Enterprise offers 4x longer inputs, robust encryption, and SOC compliance with this newest update. This is great to check out for large organizations who want to get into AI but may have been uncertain of the security in the past. 
• AI Job Growth– A new LinkedIn Future of Work Report details what AI could look like as it integrates into the workplace. One precedent is that LinkedIn has seen a 21x increase in job postings that mention AI technologies since November 2022. 
• ROI in Social Spending Points to Market Recovery– Most marketers expect increased social spending ads and connected TV. In fact, the latest data from Advertiser Perceptions shows that the industry is trending toward recovery. 
• US Adults Views of Prominent Social Platforms– Interesting metrics on who is the most innovative (TikTok) and who is the most unpleasant (Twitter/X).
• Digital Ad Spending to Grow 4.4% – This is all thanks to the big 5: Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance, and Meta, which spend more than 50.7% of all global ad spend. If you are thinking of where to place your ad dollars, take a look at this article.