Social Buzz – August to October Updates & Trends You Might Have Missed!
Your go-to source for all things social media is back! From AI advancements to new content trends, here’s a quick recap of the hottest platform updates shaping the digital world.
Let’s get you up to speed! 🚀
META UPDATES
Meta AI Gets Chatty and Creative 🌟
Say hello to the future – Meta AI now lets you chat and share photos across Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram DMs. And it’s not just text-based; you can use your voice to talk with Meta AI, and you even have the option to pick celebrity voices like Kristen Bell or John Cena.
But that’s not all! Meta AI can now:
Analyse the photos you send and answer questions about them.
Edit images based on your instructions – just drop an image in your chat and say what you’d like added or changed.
Suggest unique background ideas when you reshare posts to your Instagram Stories.
“Imagine” This – Dynamic Photo Creation Meta’s Imagine feature is now integrated into your feed, Stories, and Facebook profile pictures, making it easier than ever to generate standout visuals. Even better, Meta AI can propose captions for these images.
Business Insight: Companies can harness Meta AI with click-to-message ads on WhatsApp and Messenger (English only for now). This AI assistant can keep conversations flowing even after hours, helping boost customer engagement and drive sales.
Why It Matters: With AI handling everything from answering questions to suggesting product purchases, businesses have a powerful tool to increase efficiency and enhance customer experience.
INSTAGRAM UPDATE
Chain Posts: Building Community with Collaborative Content 🔗
Chain Posts allow users to contribute to an ongoing series of posts around a shared theme or prompt, creating a visual “chain” of user-generated content. When a user engages with a Chain Post, they can add their own image or video, joining a collaborative sequence. Try it out! Start a new post in the app, swipe post type to “Chain” - shoot your first chain and start sharing.
Why Creators Should Care: Chain Posts can also support branded challenges, seasonal campaigns, and community storytelling, increasing engagement and visibility through a connected series of posts.
Group Stories: A Multi-Perspective Narrative 👋
Group Stories let multiple users contribute to one shared story sequence, creating a unified narrative from different perspectives. This feature is ideal for capturing collaborative moments among members, KOLs or teammates in a single story thread.
Why Creators Should Care: Use Group Stories to provide diverse perspectives for events, product launches, or influencer collaborations.
Story Comments and Notes on Reels 🎞️
Instagram is giving its Story feature a boost:
Story Comments: Viewers can now comment on Stories, visible at the bottom of the frame. By default, only mutual followers can comment, but you can adjust this for all followers.
Notes on Reels and Posts: Add notes that last up to three days and share them with mutuals or Close Friends. Replies to these notes appear as new messages in DMs.
Why It’s Cool: These updates create new ways to interact and drive engagement, perfect for keeping your audience hooked.
THREADS UPDATE
Cross-post from IG and Facebook to Threads ✅
Meta’s making life easier with a new cross-posting feature! Now you can share Instagram and Facebook posts directly to Threads. Here’s the scoop:
Instagram: Toggle the feature when posting an image. Captions turn into text, photos attach, and hashtags become plain text.
Facebook: Works similarly but only with text and link posts.
Heads Up: While this makes posting a breeze, keep an eye on formatting. Hashtags converting to plain text could look off on Threads.
Why Creators Should Care: This update is a time-saver for social media managers and influencers juggling multiple platforms. But remember, one size doesn’t always fit all regarding content.
LINKEDIN UPDATE
New AI Privacy Policies – Opt-out if You Need To! 🕵🏼♂️
LinkedIn has rolled out updates to its AI Privacy Policy, letting users opt out of training its AI models with their data. However, LinkedIn hasn’t confirmed whether DMs are exempt from training data.
What This Means: If you or your business share sensitive information via LinkedIn DMs, opting out is worth considering. Stay secure and protect your private convos!
FACEBOOK MONETIZATION BETA
New Ways to Earn as a Creator 🪙
Facebook’s Content Monetization beta combines in-stream ads, Reel ads, and Performance bonuses. This streamlining makes it easier for creators to monetise Reels, videos, photos, and text posts, all while tracking performance with one analytics tool.
Tip: If you’re in the beta programme, now’s the time to maximise your earnings and diversify your content strategy!
CONTENT TRENDS
Moo Deng – The Pygmy Hippo Stealing Hearts 🦛
Born in July, Moo Deng, a pygmy hippo from Thailand has become an Internet darling with her adorable, potato-like cuteness. With her photos going viral and a 24/7 live stream available, meme lovers and animal enthusiasts can’t get enough.
Why Brands Should Care: Moo Deng’s popularity underscores the power of memes and animal content. If it aligns with your brand’s voice, joining the hype could be a fun engagement boost!
Escalator Trend Now Prohibited 🚫
Originally sparked in Taiwan, the escalator trend showcased creators placing their phones on an escalator step for a unique, upward view of Taipei 101. But as of August, this trend has been halted by authorities citing safety concerns. In Singapore, creators filming at Marina Bay Sands have adapted by using a friend to record instead of risking their phones.
Why It Matters: While trends can boost engagement, safety comes first. Creators need to assess the risks before joining viral challenges.
Gen Z’s Writing the Marketing Script for Brands and Companies 👴🏻
This viral trend, gaining traction in September, sees Gen Z employees scripting brand content with their authentic voice – often read aloud by older employees for an entertaining twist. The contrast is charming, relatable, and perfect for engaging a younger audience.
Relevance for Brands: Leaning into this trend shows you’re in tune with youth culture and ready to adapt your voice to connect with Gen Z.
Underconsumption Core – Minimalism Is In ✨
In a world of viral “must-haves,” underconsumption core champions a minimalist lifestyle. This trend, sparked by younger audiences facing high living costs, favours thoughtful, high-quality purchases over impulsive buying.
Key Insight for Businesses: While this may pose a challenge for traditional retail, second-hand shops and repair services can thrive. Aligning with sustainability and budget-friendly solutions is key.
And that’s our roundup this month! Stay sharp, stay trendy, and keep exploring these digital waves. Until next time! ✨🌐
It’s not all us! Here are our sources: Meta AI on Facebook and Asia News Network, Instagram on Social Media today and here too, Threads on TechCrunch, Linkedin on Linkedin, Facebook on Facebook, Content Trends on Moo Deng at CNET, Underconsumption core from StraitsTimes