Social media seems to be shifting slightly in 2018, with a renewed focus on the personal and several apps introducing new systems which help you see the content or messages that are most important to you. Read on to find out what you can expect from your favourite, most-used apps this year.
The content you see on your newsfeed will be different this year — Facebook has changed the algorithm so that you see more from family members, friends, and groups you’re part of, and fewer news stories and business updates. According to founder Mark Zuckerberg, this personal touch has been introduced to improve the well-being of Facebook users. “We built Facebook to help people stay connected and bring us closer together with the people that matter to us,” he said in a post on the app. “By focusing on bringing people closer together — whether it’s family and friends, or around important moments in the world — we can help make sure that Facebook is time well spent.”
Read the full post here.
The popularity of WhatsApp continues to grow, with 56% of Ghanaians living overseas describing it as their main social media app in Ding’s survey about mobile phone usage. And now the app is looking to streamline the type of messages you see by creating a Notification Channel, a system which lets you sort your messages into ten different categories as they come in.
Each category has its own settings, so users will still be able to hear from their loved ones while muting anything deemed annoying or unimportant.
(Photo by Nigel Tadyanehondo on Unsplash)
Snapchat
A controversial one now: Snapchat’s latest update has found few fans since its launch. The newly-designed app now features all your friends’ snaps, messages and stories on one screen, which can be reached by swiping right, and stories are listed in order of who you’ve been in contact with most recently.
Swipe left, meanwhile, and you’ll find the Discover screen, which is home to content from publishers and creators, and the Snap Map.
(Not sure how the Snap Map works? The Mirror has a step-by-step guide.)
The popularity of Instagram Stories continues, with millions of users now using the feature on a daily basis. While the app is yet to announce any major changes for 2018, most experts agree that Stories will grow in importance over the course of the year, with their real, unfiltered approach being embraced by users around the world.
Last year saw the introduction of 280-character tweets, and this year Twitter are turning their attention to video. They are said to be developing a feature which makes it easier for users to upload and share videos, but there’s no word yet on a prospective launch date. Watch this space…
