Top 10 July 2021 Social Media Updates

With 4.2 billion people using social media around the world for an average of over 2 hours a day, platforms are constantly in competition to keep their users interested. Every month, they’re beta-testing platform changes, removing features, and introducing new policies surrounding content and community moderation — it can be a lot to keep up with, especially if you’re trying to run your day-to-day brand accounts.

While we’re always actively looking out for notable changes, this will be the first installment of Smirk’s new series that summarizes the top updates from each major social platform every month.

An Update Rundown

Here’s our hand-picked list of the biggest platform updates we think you should know, especially if you’re a marketer:

Instagram

• Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced that the platform would shift from being primarily a photo-sharing app into focusing on four key areas — creators, video, shopping and messaging
• In an effort to reduce targeted abuse by groups, Instagram has begun testing new ’comment limits’

Facebook

• Users can continue a conversation in the form of ‘Threads’, currently being tested on the platform
• Facebook shared information about their News Feed algorithm in a new video

Twitter

• Twitter teases the removal of ‘Fleets’ next month
• The platform is testing a new feature that allows users to share specific tweets with only a select audience. The feature is similar to the ‘close friends’ feature on Instagram

TikTok

• In order to limit exposure to harmful content on the app, the platform has begun implementing automated removals of videos
• By encouraging users to submit video resumes, TikTok is helping job-seekers find new opportunities

YouTube

• Through YouTube’s ‘New to You’ feature, you can discover new content from channels that are similar to your interests

Pinterest

• All weight loss-related ads are being banned from the platform

Staying in the Know

Not paying attention to changes that happen on key platforms for your brand can hurt you more than help you — no business can get away with using the same social media strategy and content approach for years on end. Stay too stagnant, and you’ll inevitably risk not reaching your intended audience or setting yourself apart from your biggest competitors.

Feeling overwhelmed with the task of managing your social media accounts while staying on top of current trends? Let’s free you from the burden of keeping up with constant platform changes and help you elevate your social strategy. See where your brand accounts stand against competitors by taking a moment to chat with a member of the Smirk team.