9 new social media features you need to know this week    

It’s time to delve into what’s happening as social media platforms roll out new features for better user experience and more branding opportunities. Also, it’s not a new feature, but Vladimir Putin’s back on Twitter. That’s relevant. You’ll see why.   

Go down the rabbit hole with us to see what’s up ahead.     

Instagram   

Instagram is adding new features to its creator marketplace so brands can more easily find creators to work with on this third-party creator marketing platform, which is currently in use, TechCrunch reported.   

The new API provides the opportunity for brands to contact creators in a “priority inbox,” according to the article. A secondary API will allow brands to publish “structured project briefs” from the creator marketplace via a third party, the article adds.   

The updates make it easier for brands and creators to connect, the company wrote in a blog post.   

The platform Instagram is also rolling out a new trending audio section to allow users to easily see the hottest options, the app announced. Users will be able to know the hot songs and audio on Reels while keeping up with analytics for how often a song has been used. To see IG Reels’ trending audio, users should visit their professional dashboard and go to “Reels Trends.”    

Creators can also find out the most popular topics and hashtags, making it even easier to jump into conversations.   

Twitter     

Recently, Twitter let go of some of the limitations set for state media Twitter accounts in Russia and China, The Telegraph reported.   

The presidential account of Vladimir Putin’s, its country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its UK Embassy wasn’t active on Twitter since Russia invaded Ukraine.   

According to the article, social media is viewed as an integral part of the Kremlin’s misinformation. Its UK embassy account has been harshly criticized for saying that Ukrainian forces are injuring their own citizens and stating that soldiers “deserve death by hanging.”   

Parler   

 Parler, a platform that was created as a conservative alternative to Twitter, will shut down for now after it was acquired by Starboard, a digital media conglomerate, according to an announcement.   

“No reasonable person believes that a Twitter clone just for conservatives is a viable business any more,” the announcement said.   

The app will be taken down while it undergoes a “strategic assessment.”    

This change comes after an acquisition agreement with Parler and Ye (Kanye West) fell through.  

TikTok   

TikTok is offering new in-stream shopping opportunities, Social Media Today reported.   

TikTok is encouraging users to shop online from a variety of sellers aimed to level up the app’s shopping experience.   

TikTok is bringing on some retailers and influencer-led ads for this virtual effort and attempting to lure users to shop on the platform by subsidizing shipping and promoting 30% discounts.   

WhatsApp   

New and advanced protections are underway to keep accounts safe and messages secure, WhatsApp announced in a blog post.   

New security features include Account Protect, device verification and automatic security codes.   

Message security will be beefed up with default end-to-end encryption. Also on tap in the next several months is Account Protect. For those with a new device, WhatsApp will verify your identity by using your old device as a boosted security measure. New measures are also in place to automatically authenticate your account if your device’s security is threatened, according to the post.   

Snap   

The ink is still wet on a recent deal Snap signed with numerous music labels to increase the offerings in its Sounds library, which allows platform users to play song clips in Snaps and Stories, TechCrunch reported.   

“A ‘selection’ of work from singers and songwriters signed up with UnitedMasters will be available in the SoundLibrary,” Snap said in a statement reported in the article.   

LinkedIn   

LinkedIn users will soon be able to verify their identities (for free, unlike some other social networks we could name) using CLEAR and Microsoft Entra, LinkedIn announced.   

Users can verify their identity with CLEAR with a U.S.-issued I.D. and phone number, according to the announcement.   

They are also partnering up with Microsoft to let organizations use the Microsoft Entra Verified ID platform to send out digital workplace IDs for free, which can also be displayed on a user’s profile.   

Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR-related story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com.