Significant Social Media Updates: June ’21

Social media managers around the world know that no two days are the same. Some days may be full of positive reviews, uplifting community posts, and pitch-perfect copy. On the days when you might need additional inspiration, we rounded up the most notable changes across social media that may impact your role day-to-day.

TikTok updates:

• In non-shocking news: TikTok’s popularity isn’t slowing down. The app is still number one in global downloads.
• The company recently announced a “Create Kindness” campaign aimed at encouraging inclusivity and positivity on the app, while also attempting to reduce bullying.
• TikTok recently updated its terms of service to include collecting biometric information like faceprints and voiceprints. This is the part of TikTok’s Privacy Policy that lists the types of data the app gathers from users, which was already fairly extensive.

YouTube updates:

• Posting content to YouTube is about to get easier. The video platform is now enabling creators to place add-on features — like midroll ad breaks, end screens, info cards, etc. — while their video is processing. These changes are expected to save creators significant time on uploading content.

Snapchat updates:

• It’s never too early for holiday fun. Snapchat recently announced a new holiday seasonal guide to aid consumers in their shopping journey as they follow their favorite brands on the app.

Pinterest updates:

• Pinterest unveiled that they’re adding a pronoun field on user profiles.
• Shopping on Pinterest is seeing a welcome change. The platform just debuted its new Shopping List, a feature that automatically saves all of a user’s Product Pins in one place. When users are ready to purchase, they won’t have to hunt around through saved Pins and Boards to find the products they’ve been considering.

Twitter updates: 

• Twitter recently launched a subscription model ($3/month for Canadian and Australian users, for now) that would allow users to have a 30-second grace period to edit or delete tweets. What a relief!

LinkedIn updates:

• LinkedIn just got a lot easier on the eyes. The platform started offering dark mode on desktop.

Facebook updates: 

• Facebook is betting big on AR with its announcement of a smartwatch. This isn’t the first piece of hardware from the tech giant; the smartwatch would join its Portal, Oculus, and AR glasses.

Instagram updates: 

• You scratch my back, I scratch yours? Instagram just released a new affiliate marketing program for creators. This change will enable creators to discover new products available for purchase in the app, then share them with their followers in order to earn commissions for any subsequent purchases that they drive.
• Here’s a peek behind the Instagram curtain: The platform shared new insights into how their algorithm works.

There you have it! Since social media updates are never-ending (which we love), we’ll be sharing a regular roundup of all the news you need to stay in the know. Go forth and post.