Facebook begins Meta-morphosis

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that his company, which runs Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, will now be known as 'Meta'. The rebrand is part of a plan to move towards becoming a 'metaverse company' – one which looks to the future of the internet as a social, 3D space to share immersive experiences with others. Critics, however, have said the name-change is a distraction from recent crises around mental harms that its platform creates. Read more about Meta here, here and here.

Instagram to launch ‘Collabs’ tool

Instagram has announced a series of new features and updates to the app, designed to help creators collaborate, fund-raise and interact with their followers in a new way. 'Collabs' is a new feature that will allow users to co-author Reels and general feed posts via the tagging option to entice creators to connect. Instagram is also implementing new interactive music effects for users who perform music on Reels. Find out more about the updates here.

Instagram launches new Video tab

At the start of October, Instagram began its ongoing pivot to video by combining IGTV and feed videos into a new tab simply called Instagram Video. Reels, however, will remain separate. Insta CEO Adam Mosseri has said in recent months that the platform is "no longer a photo-sharing app" and this move is designed to keep pace with the popularity of TikTok and YouTube with younger audiences. The new Video tab can be found on users' profiles and the content can be viewed in full screen by tapping on it. Find out more here.

Twitter Spaces, Super Follows for all 

Twitter has unveiled several new updates in recent weeks. The first allows every user to host a Space – Twitter's audio social feature – that until now has been reserved for those with 600+ followers. It has also just granted all iOS users the ability to Super Follow select creators. Finally, Twitter has added a ‘soft block’ feature, which enables users to subtly remove a follower without notifying them via the profile page. Find out more here, here and here.

YouTube unveils live shopping events

A series of YouTube live-stream shopping events will take place ahead of the Christmas season, starting on November 15. Fans tuning in can get limited availability products and one-time offers. The platform is also updating connected TV (CTV) ads so brands can measure their investments more transparently. YouTube is also upgrading automatic captions for live streams and subtitles translations are being expanded to mobile. Find out more here and here.

Instagram adds ‘live stream’ tools

Instagram has added a new feature to live streams in a bid to increase user interaction. Users can now schedule live broadcasts up to 90 days in advance, alongside the option of sending user notifications on the day of the live broadcast. IG has also rolled out a new Live practice option, enabling creators to check important things like lighting and camera angles ahead of their broadcasts. Read more here.

Instagram adds 'link stickers' for all

Instagram has finally rolled out 'link stickers' to all users on the platform. Effectively the successor to the 'swipe up', link stickers were previously available to verified accounts and top creators from June, but have now been rolled out widely. It means anyone can now add a sticker to an Instagram Stories with a hyperlink that will take them to external resources, such as a brand website. Find out more about the new feature here.

LinkedIn exits Chinese market

Ever since its launch in 2014, LinkedIn has run into regulatory problems with the Chinese government. The country’s grip on the internet has been tightening, making it harder for global businesses to operate. As a result of the challenges, the career-focused social networking site will launch a new version in China called InJobs, which will “not include a feed or the ability to share or post articles”. Read more here and here.

Trump launches 'TRUTH Social' 

Former US President Donald Trump has announced plans to launch his own social media platform called TRUTH Social. Trump, who was banned from Twitter and Facebook following the US Capitol riots in January this year, said the new network would “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech”, which he believes silences free speech. The new social app is set to be rolled out to invited guests later this month with a nationwide launch in early 2022. Read more here and here.

Facebook rolls out Audio hub in US

Facebook has launched an 'Audio' hub for US users, which brings podcasts, live audio rooms, and short-form audio clips into one destination. The new feature will help creators with show discovery, and enable listeners to browse recommended content and save them for later. Facebook is also rolling out its Clubhouse rival – Live Audio Rooms – more widely, as well as a new product called Soundbites. More here.

Twitter tests 'downvote' feature

Eagle-eyed social users recently spotted Twitter trialling new features in an attempt to help improve conversations. A few testers have been playing with the option to downvote tweets via a Reddit-inspired down arrow. This is only in the research phase though, so most users can't see it yet. The platform is also testing a new way to showcase ads by placing them in the comments after the first, third or eighth reply. Find out more here and here.

Clubhouse unveils high-quality audio

Clubhouse has launched 'music mode', a new feature that enables users to broadcast in high quality stereo. It means pro audio equipment, such as external USB mics or mixing boards, can be used to create a higher quality streaming experience. Clubhouse has tweaked a few other things, including moving the search bar to the top of the feed, and allowing users to wave at each other through it. More here.