Issue #18 - Spotify to combine all the platforms?
Hello! I hope everyone has had a brilliant week and hasn’t been too badly affected by the snow, if you’ve received any. Personally I love snow so thoroughly enjoyed walking to work in it this morning. Some general news this week however some big news from Spotify that I recommend you stick around for! This week we have Dan, our Social Content Creator, acting as our PinPointer opinion! Not loads of news this week so hopefully this is a quick read for you all!
Meta
This week it was confirmed that Meta is working on a Twitter ‘killer’. Meta are slowly taking over the social world, despite their not so great reports and PR, and next is Twitter. The company is also planning to smash out one of Twitter’s competitors, Mastodon. This other text based platform has been picking up numbers and with the downfall of Twitter, we can understand why. As much as I’m not on Meta’s side, from a business perspective, I think that Meta should make this move and invest in the idea. Not that my opinion matters as they’ve already started doing it which has been confirmed by Mashable. The news was broken by MoneyControl where they stated the code name for the project was ‘P92’ (creative) and is in its unknown stages but is happening. Is it already being tested? Is it in the design stages? Who knows! All we do know is that it has been confirmed. According to MoneyControl a Meta spokesperson said “We’re exploring a standalone decentralised social network for sharing text updates. We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests” Hmm… Sometimes when news like this breaks we either hear nothing after or we can’t stop hearing about the developments and before we know it, we’re all downloading it. Can’t wait to see where this goes as I would love a new platform to use. I read that back and it may come across slightly sarcastic but I am genuinely excited about this. Musk has made his plans clear in that it’s all about money. Despite platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels being of popularity due to the visual aspect, I think there is still room in the social media market for word text based content. Mashable brings up about Instagram Notes and how Meta have been more driven to implement text based stuff however it hasn’t really taken off as much as they thought. How many people that your following has been updating their Notes? I have. I love it. Updating everyone all the time. Not that anyone cares but it’s still fun! Anyway… back to the point. We’ll have to see what P92 has to offer and what the developments will be over time. Whether or not it happens because according to MoneyControl’s title it “wants to use data of all Instagram users regardless of their participation in the new platform being planned by Meta” For this particular news article we’ve asked Dan for his opinion. Let’s hear what he has to say! With his opinion, here’s Dan!
“Social giants robbing popular ideas and formats isn't a new concept, see anytime there's a new popular feature that gains traction and suddenly every app has their own version of it. You don't have to be a Twitter user to have heard the company/platform is on thin ice so Meta sniffing around makes complete sense, especially if they're developing a replacement that can nicely pop up if the Twitter castle crumbles. Lets see if this is a new platform everyone jumps to or just a new fad that will disappear in weeks to come”
To read more have a look at these articles:
🔗Meta mulls a Twitter competitor codenamed ‘P92’ that will be interoperable with Mastodon ( Money Control)
We all know how Meta loves their influencers. It’s what brings users to their platform and keeps them hooked. Being an influencer is the new wanna be astronaut dream! Becoming rich and famous. Well… rich may not be the case for Meta’s influencers for much longer. Meta have announced that they will be putting the pause button on their bonus payouts for their creators. Anything Meta wants to tell us here? Having some money issues? According to Engadget, at the start of the launch creators could earn a bonus of $35,000. But now, a pause. The programme was introduced back in December of 2021. Back in the crazy days of Covid-19. Around this time, Instagram would’ve been coming up with initiatives, such as this one, in order to be on top of TikTok and try to become the number one video visual platform. What better way to entice people in…money. The pause will probably be the start of the end for this particular programme, especially as we have been seeing more reports on Instagram’s realisation that they can’t keep up with their rival. I think if Instagram stuck to their main goal, sticking to images they could go far. Granted TikTok wasn’t around when Instagram started but it became successful for a reason and the fact the platform is still highly relevant now still shows that there's promise for the future. What I will say is that if you were hoping to jump on board for this scheme, unfortunately you’ve missed out.
To read more have a look at these articles:
Snapchat
Snapchat, in France, did a fantastic job when it came to International Women’s day. The platform that is widely known for its AI ability allowed for people to pay their true respects towards women in history. So what is it that the platform actually did? People across France were able to see AI statues of women that appeared next to real life statues of men. Some of the famous women included ‘Simone Veil, Josephine Baker and Simone de Beauvoir’ Someone tweeted that “We have tried to associate a ‘woman of letters’ with a ‘man of letters’, a resistance fighter with a resistance fighter,” he said. “Augmented reality can have a real usefulness in the world of culture.” I really think it can. So many people focus on the negative side of AI and never look at the positives. This is a perfect example of how AI and education can work hand in hand to provide more knowledge or recognition to something. E.g other women in history.
Here is an example of one of the AI statues alongside the real life statue. To see more examples, have a look at the article from The Connection
To read more have a look at this article:
🔗International Women’s Day: Snapchat’s homage to France’s female icons (The Connection)
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TikTok
One annoying thing about any piece of software that you may use is the watermark. I had to use some animation software for one of my university assignments and as a student you can imagine, just like many, money isn’t found in vast quantities so I didn’t want to pay for these animations to not have their watermark on. Whilst having to watch this over and over again I just have this massive sign of the animation name in the middle and it was quite annoying! Just ruined it. Well for those of you who have TikTok and get annoyed by the watermark, there’s a chance that will no longer be an issue. According to Later, users are now able to ‘download their videos without the watermark before they post.’ There is the option to do this through a third party app with ‘TikTok watermark remover’ apps available however just like scheduling apps, sometimes its just nice to have it as a feature in the intended app. I’m thinking of the option to schedule posts here… Later makes a great comment that for all the social media managers out there this is great news that it means content can be repurposed. One thing I really like about the software CapCut, is that even though there's the video watermark at the end of the video, once made, you can always crop it out as I know many have done. With TikTok, it’s just there. Even worse, it moves around the video when you’re watching it! I understand the purpose of why watermarks are there. To give credit to the software you’ve made the piece of content on. TikTok is now just that big. Everyone will know that video content is made on the platform. Is that what this new feature is trying to say?!
To read more have a look at these articles:
🔗Is TikTok Removing Its Watermark? (Later)
🔗Excitement At Peak For TikTok Users As App Will Soon Allow Video Downloads Without A Watermark (Digital Information World)
Other articles:
Now the headline news! Spotify has announced a new design and some of it looks awfully familiar. Now the music platform is jumping on the social train by copying other ideas! Welcome to the club. So what is new but isn’t new at the same time.
Well, Spotify will allow for a new home screen design which will allow for users to go full screen as well! The Verge describes it as the design being ‘heavy on imagery and vertical scrolling, turning your homescreen’ . I’m quite excited about this. I don’t know why but, for me the mini videos that play behind the song have disappeared. People are always posting them on my Instagram but I can’t seem to do it anymore so I say, bring the visuals back! One of the outcomes Spotify wishes for is that users can find more music. Beyond the one album some of us listen to. What can I say? Taylor Swift’s Reputation album is just a masterpiece! The Verge makes a great point that the company has been heavily investing in podcasts and audio related content, which has shown success. Every other advert I see on a billboard or Instagram advert or even just talking in the office. It’s all about the podcasts. Now that Spotify has conquered them, the next move is the visuals. One big question is, will the users and also the creators get behind this? I say bring on more Taylor Swift content. More visuals! I’m here for it; however, she has a far bigger budget than some of the independent artists who are trying to make it big on the platform. I’m not an expert in this area so stuff like this might not be an issue but I have to write something arguing this update! If you’re interested in this update, keep a lookout. The Verge writes ‘At the top, if you tap on “Music” or “Podcasts & Shows,” you’ll be taken into a vertically scrolling feed that looks a lot more like Instagram Stories or TikTok’ Just another platform everyone is going to waste their time on now!
Let’s hear our thoughts from Dan! Bring on the visuals is what I say to the new Spotify home screen. As a big fan of their update that allowed artists to upload a fullscreen video for mobile users to view when listening to their songs, this is another welcome addition. I think Spotify as an app has always verged on technically being a social media app but is mostly being used just as a music player, so any additional offerings to bring people more entertainment while using it will always help them give value to their audience. Especially if these are features we're seeing universally such as feeds and vertical scrolling'
To read more have a look at these articles:
Opinion of the week
‘Social media does more harm than good’
Social media can be great. It can do a lot of good for people. For example it can be great, free publicity for businesses and can make brands stand out. The reason I work in socials is great. It’s positive. However, I'm discussing it from a personal perspective. On a personal level, even though it’s gotten slightly better, social media still revolves around the likes, the following and overall the popularity of someone. In recent news there has been a surge in hate for Hailey Beiber as she’s been involved in some drama between herself and Selena Gomez. I think? Something has happened between the pair however the point is that the trolling and the hate has again struck the news sparking conversations again whether social media is actually good for mental health. There is still a meaning behind on if someone, famous or not, has unfollowed another person. Social media makes people look into things way too deeply. Yes, it can be great for users to raise awareness on problems around the world and can educate many and entertain many but I still don’t think the platforms are doing enough to control the vast amount of hate out in the social world.
Did you know this isn't the only edition PinPoint brought out this week? No? Well go and read our International's Women's Day post that was published on Wednesday. It's a special piece written by myself however curated by all the women of PinPoint Media. So don't delay! Go and have a read.