New social media features and updates to know this week 

It’s another Tuesday and you know what that means – we have the latest social media updates to get you going this week. Now let’s get to the good stuff!      

X

X recently began to feature long-form X articles on the social media platform. These original X articles might have their own feed in the app in a similar blog-post format, Social Media Today reported. The long-form articles will have a link preview card on the platform’s feed, which users can click on and navigate to these stories. Users can experiment with posting these articles in the near future. Have you seen any X articles yet while scrolling?

Meta

Meta announced that it is working on tools to label AI-generated images on Instagram, Threads and Facebook. They already use “Imaged with AI” labels on photorealistic images made with its Meta AI feature. The company’s working to do the same with content from other generative AI tools. Meta specifically cited the upcoming global elections and the high potential for misinformation as the impetus to get these tools up and running quickly.

Instagram and Threads released new information on how they recommend political content. They will not “proactively recommend” political content to users via Explore, Reels and Suggested Users, though users will be able to opt-in. This is all part of Meta’s ongoing push to move away from polarizing politics in feeds, which is concerning some journalists and politicians.

Professional accounts on IG can go to Account Status to see if their account is considered political, which is determined by recent post activity. While in Account Status, they can remove or edit recent posts, ask for a review, or stop posting political content for “a period of time” to regain their recommendation status.

Wired reported that WhatsApp and Messenger will soon have third-party messaging to meet requirements from the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The third-party messaging interoperability feature will let users from other platforms send images, text messages, files and videos to WhatsApp users, according to Wired. Group chats and calls are not on the horizon yet. Messaging platforms interested in connecting with WhatsApp will have to sign a company agreement and follow its protocol. WhatsApp users who agree to view messages from other platforms will be able to see them in their inbox in a separate section at the top once the feature is available.

Facebook

Meta announced in late January that it’s doing away with third-party access to its Facebook Groups API on April 22. Developers and businesses use Facebook Groups API to schedule posts to Facebook Groups, TechCrunch reported. Agencies that schedule or automate their customers’ posts would feel the effects of this change. Meta Certified Community Manager Maurice W. Evans told TechCrunch that removing the third-party Facebook Groups access “could significantly alter the digital landscape, creating both hurdles and opportunities for community managers and businesses alike.”

Jonah Manzano, singer-songwriter and social media aficionado, posted on Threads that Facebook is now letting users create photo captions with AI. If this feature is available on your account:

• Visit the “create post” section.
• Select the Write with AI option and choose your tone: professional, funny, heartfelt, etc.
• Publish your AI-generated caption.

Threads

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram posted on Threads that the platform began a limited test of a highly requested feature post bookmarks. The feature works just like it does on Instagram, according to Mosseri.

Bluesky

The decentralized social app Bluesky is now available for anyone to join after a long stint as invitation-only. Since last year, the nascent platform and X competitor have built out features like custom feeds and moderation tools with a small user base. Shortly after removing the invitation requirement, Bluesky added 856,000 new users, reaching a total of more than 4 million, according to ZDNet.

TikTok

Manzano posted on Threads that TikTok introduced a new feature specifically for communicating with subscribers. In Sub Space, creators can create chat threads, post polls and more.  To access, go to tools, click Sub Space and post to “extend interactions beyond LIVE.”

LinkedIn

LinkedIn announced new tools under the Network tab, including:

Grow tab

• Make more professional connections and manage current ones through updates to the People You May Know

Catch Up tab

• This tab lets you keep up on major life news with connections by letting users know when someone achieved a milestone like celebrating a new job, birthday or work anniversary.

LinkedIn is getting rid of the hashtags and Creator Mode button in profile settings, according to a newsletter article on LinkedIn from The Social Media Scoop. The Creator Mode debuted in 2021 and let users tag their profiles with hashtags. LinkedIn now prefers keywords and topics and is moving away from hashtags. Some Creator Mode features like the “Connect” with or “Follow” option will remain, as will the associated creative tools and analytics.

YouTube

TeamYouTube announced on X that users’ live stream previews can be seen in Shorts. Viewers can tap on one of these videos to enter into a scrollable live feed, according to the post.

YouTube is also testing out its video feeds with red, green and blue colors, according to 9To5Google. The article noted that 9To5Google came across a “Craving something new?” card on the platform for Android users. This feature lets users create their video feeds based on color groupings.

Sherri Kolade is a writer and conference producer at Ragan Communications. She enjoys watching old films, reading and building an authentically curated life. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR/comms speaker in mind for one of Ragan’s events? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com.