The beginning of March started off with a bang! AP launched an election tool with Twitter and Google data, you’ll be able to customize your own emoji before the end of the year, Instagram became THE platform for ads… and two more exciting news pieces for you in this week’s #MMSocialReport!
1. The AP Debuts “Election Buzz,” a Tool that Uses Twitter and Google Data to Track the U.S. Elections
by @sarahintampa via @TechCrunch
Are you a self-proclaimed political junkie? Did you constantly refresh your TL for the latest #SuperTuesday results? The AP has launched a new election tool in partnership with Google and Twitter to help visualize and quantify data for voters to get a clear understanding of the political climate within their home state. Similar to Google Trends, this new tool, called “AP Election Buzz”, helps online users see which candidate has the most clout by dominating online conversation on issues that affect current-day voters.
2. Major Emoji Changes Will Allow You to Change Hair Color and Gender
Still not satisfied with the constant improvements emojis have made within the past six years? Don’t fret – a MAJOR change will be coming to a secondary keyboard near you. UTS 52 proposed new, customizable emojis that include the ability to edit flags, gender, hair colors, and the direction of emoji (I’m ready for an upside-down sassy woman emoji). These changes are in talks right now in Q2, and many whispers predict they will be out before the end of the year.
3. There Are Now 200K Advertisers on Instagram
by @anthonyhavia @TechCrunch
Remember when Instagram ads weren’t a thing? There are now more than 200,000 advertisers on Instagram, only after a year of implementing the service onto its platform. In comparison, Facebook said it had more than 2 million active advertisers on its platform, meanwhile Twitter had 130,000 around this time last year. It comes as no surprise Instagram is seen as a great platform for ads to flourish, especially since many users have said they take action after seeing an IG post.
4. Politically Themed Social Network Roust Launches iOS App
by @getdonovan via @TechCrunch
Super Tuesday was a trending topic on Twitter, but did you get sick of all the political rants your friends posted on their timeline? Roust, a new social network, aims to cater to politically-involved individuals to discuss their ideologies regarding religious, social, and political topics. For the political junkies out there, definitely check out this network – it isn’t filled with extremists and can actually foster awesome conversations with some serous insight.
5. Bieber-Backed Shots Goes Beyond Selfies with Links and Comedy
by @Katie_Roof and @joshconstine via @TechCrunch
Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager in 2016 with social media can even be harder (who doesn’t have a #finsta?). Shots, a new social media app that was originally built on the selfie idea, is now taking a stance against bullying by disabling comments. The social network wants to boost kids’ spirits by focusing on comedy, which is why it now lets users share links (besides selfies). As a result, a “Funny” tab has been incorporated within the app, where users can comment with emojis, thus limiting newsfeed clogging. This SM is definitely worth keeping an eye on, especially with famous backers such as Bieber being on board with the idea. Who knows – maybe this will be the new “it” app of 2016.
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Are you on-board with Shots? Do you have a finsta? Has politics changed your mindset due to social media? Let us know in the comments below!
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