Social Media News November 2024 - part 4 | MKTRSU #20
Australia bans social media for under-16s, Half of Linkedin’s content is fake and Bluesky making X and Threads tremble in fear! Let’s get down to business
My name's Mark Valasik
and I help B2B companies to flip their Marketing Right Side Up 📈 ⬆
Let's connect and discuss!
This week without video! Sorry! However if you want to see the Shorts/Reels that completely destroyed my analytics on Youtube and Instagram for the foreseeable future, you’re more than welcome to do so!
Because, it’s been 7 months since I started this newsletter AND my content in general, so naturally, I made a 6 months summary on Linkedin (since I didn’t have enough data for 7 months summary, naturally) and 2 days after I posted it, my reels and shorts blew up and completely messed up all my numbers!
Because when you make content for 6 months straight and accumulate 100,000 Youtube views, 190,000 TikTok views and 1,800,000 Instagram views, you feel pretty confident to post it on Linkedin and title it “How I made 2.1 million organic views in 6 months”…
…and then, 2 days later, your recycled short makes 800,000 Youtube views and 2,400,000 Instagram views alone, completely shattering any and all credibility behind your 6 months effort, effectively making it “5.3 million views in 6 months and 2 days” 😑
Don’t get me wrong, love the vanity metrics as the next guy, but since these are just memes to entertain my viewers, having them blow up like this brings genuinely nothing to the business table and messes up the analytics. Sure, I could “stop” making meme content, but where’s the fun in that? I know, I have a problem…ANYWAYS!
Before we dig into the past week’s news, please consider commenting or emailing me, if this is the content you enjoy (social media news) or if you prefer 1 general topic as we had here before the month of November. It helps me a LOT to steer this newsletter the right way :) Alright, without further yapping, here are
Social Media News for November 2024 | Part 4
Instagram adds 17 sticker packs, a revamped sticker tray, live location sharing, and nickname options in DMs. These updates aim to enhance user connectivity. Also, it has been said the DM requests filters are already rolling out (see previous articles here to know what I’m talking about)
TikTok will block under-18s from using beauty filters like “Bold Glamour” and implement stricter measures to detect users under 13 through machine learning. It’s also connecting European users to local helplines for mental health support. Which is a nice first step, but generally speaking, filters are NOT the most harmful aspect of TikTok to under-18s mental health. Hopefully we will see more!
YouTube now allows Shorts up to 3 minutes, enhances sharing tools, and introduces more AI tools like "Transform" for text and "DreamScreen" for images. The Inspiration Tab uses AI to suggest video ideas and thumbnails tailored to creators. It also seems the Youtube long-format A/B test tool for thumbnails hurts distribution more than it helps it.
Recommended by LinkedIn
A new 'Collage' feature lets users combine multiple photos into a single story, simplifying creative storytelling. As with everything Instagram, the feature is slowly rolled out and chances are some of you already have it and some of you won’t see it for months. But personally, I was waiting for this feature for YEARS!
Australia’s new law officially bans under-16s from social platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram starting in 2025, with fines of up to AUD 50M for non-compliance. Exempt platforms include WhatsApp, gaming platforms, and educational services. But what’s more important is the precedent this sets for other countries and their take on under-16s safety online. Especially UK and EU.
Bluesky is outperforming X and Threads in referral traffic and digital subscription conversions for some publishers like The Guardian Australia and Boston Globe. Also, a lot of creators report much better organic reach on the same posts even with smaller following/audiences. Are you Bluesky yet?
An analysis reveals over 54% of long LinkedIn posts in English are likely AI-generated, though LinkedIn doesn't track this data. But you are on Linkedin, you know THOSE posts. Chances are you posted some too, right?
In a very short summary: you should start using strong hooks, short paragraphs, relevant hashtags, and experimenting with content formats like videos, polls, and documents. Consistency and authenticity remain key to driving meaningful engagement, as seen supported by LinkedIn analytics to refine strategies and sustain momentum over time. So basically the same general rules as EVERY other social media network. Go figure.
If you missed any of the previous Social Media News for November 2024, you can them here:
Week 1: A lot of Meta updates, searchGTP and best times to post on social media
Week 2: Post-election Trump’s promises to TikTok, X users leaving en masse and Instagram story recommendations
Week 3: Instagram hashtags out, Threads topic feeds in and how to get shadowbanned on Linkedin
Thanks for reading, see you next week!
Cheers,
Mark.