We’re back with another last month in the digital sector. It’s October, would you believe it? The year seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. All most of us can remember are the four walls of our houses, an overwhelming feeling of unease in public spaces, and teaching ourselves the ability not to cough or sneeze in public. It’s worth learning the last one if you don’t want to be surrounded by silent stares.
Social media is something that’s brought us much closer together than two-metres during all of this, and for that, we are thankful. In this monthly update of all things social media and digital from September, we want to look at the ups and downs of the sector. So here it goes.
Facebook acts to stop the spreading of hate speech
In the last few years, it has been a prominent tactic of Facebook to push its ‘groups’ feature. With the brand constantly reinforcing the value of groups and the statistics linking interaction to group participation. However, the whole ‘groups’ ethos isn’t without question as some groups are set up to spread hate speech and opinions, which are often of questionable nature.
In September, the company announced enough was enough when it comes to groups designed to promote ill-intentions. Some were using private groups on Facebook as almost a global meeting of minds in one place. Therefore thinking it was ok to spread opinions as if it was behind closed doors. Facebook, as a company is refusing to accept this. Primarily due to the bad reputation the platform is likely to gain from these groups. Secondly, because it values itself as a more forward-thinking business.
The move is an incredible one for Facebook to take. The new set of regulations means that any group advocating violence, regardless of their privacy, will be removed. They will also be introducing ‘fact-checkers’ to monitor groups which regularly share false information or news. Meaning genuine knowledge will be championed on the platform – it’s about time.
Instagram pushes Reels more as it looks to move into TikTok’s space
Some of you may have noticed, in the past month Instagram has been offering more suggestions than it used to. The move is understandable as TikTok’s dominance needs to be tested by competitors.
If you haven’t noticed, Instagram is now offering suggested Reels within your main feed. You might not have scrolled that far down recently, or you may have chosen to ignore it subconsciously. Either way, they are here, and it looks like for now they’ll be staying.
Facebook really is the platform to do business
A bold statement, we know. However, in September, Facebook launched its ‘Business Suite.’ Yes, we know the integrated Facebook, and Instagram message interface has been available for a while now through ‘Pages Manager’. We also understand that the post scheduling across both Instagram and Facebook has been manageable for the last year too. However, the new layout within the ‘business suite’ is much better.
The proof is in the Analytics! On first use of ‘Facebook Business Suite’ marketers across the world would have been jumping for joy. With the combined analytics platform comes a genuine opportunity for comparison, growth and well-informed decision making. When it comes to how and when to spend budgets, there has often been a debate; now we will be able to see if our businesses really do benefit from one platform over the other.
Wake me up when September ends
As we see the change from Summer to Autumn, we will witness a swing in all things marketing, from colour palettes to ad placements and plenty more. September, in general, was a pretty slow month, but from insight alone, we promise October will be an incredible one. We have ‘World Mental Health Day‘, ‘Coming Out Day’ and plenty of other emotionally and mentally beneficial celebrations coming in the next month. We can’t wait to see how the digital sector reacts. There’ll be some brilliant integrations and campaigns. So watch this space.
Thanks for reading this month’s edition of ‘Last Month in Digital’. Check out our Instagram stories where we post the latest headlines for social media and digital news. We hope you stick around, check out some of our work, read some other blogs, or come back in November for the October edition. Looking for your next campaign for your new company? Speak to our team about digital marketing and branding to bring it to life!
For more news and information about the digital world, take a look at some more of our blogs for helpful tips, tricks and advice:
