Five on Fire: 22nd October
Published on October 21, 2021
Catch up on the hottest social media stories every week with Five on Fire
1. WhatsApp launches new e-commerce feature ‘Collections’
WhatsApp is releasing a new feature called ‘Collections’ that will make it simpler to shop for items. This will roll out to small businesses this week. This feature allows businesses to organise their products in catalogues by category, minimising the time users spend scrolling looking for new products. For example, restaurants can create collections with starters, mains, and desserts, while a clothing store can add collections for men’s clothing, women’s clothing, shirts, jeans, and more. After shoppers have browsed through the collections, they can add items to their carts and submit the order to the company.
2. YouTube launches a series of new live shopping events
YouTube is looking to increase its revenue this holiday season through live-shopping events launched on the platform. “The YouTube Holiday Stream and Shop will kick off on November 15th, with seven days of shoppable live streams”. The company first unveiled its plans to invest in live shopping at the beginning of 2021, as part of a larger initiative around integrated shopping on YouTube. The initial tests had been focused on videos on demand before the livestream pilot kicked off this summer.
3. Speculation arises as Facebook announce plans to rebrand
Facebook is planning on changing its name next week to reflect its building of the ‘metaverse’. The social media network has stated it wishes to be associated with more than ‘just’ social media. It is suggested that this rebrand will create a holding name for the company’s different brands such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus and others. This coincides with Facebook's hiring of 10,000 employees to work on an ambiguous Metaverse in Europe.
4. Instagram finally allows posting videos and photos from desktop
Instagram is finally allowing users to post photos and videos under one-minute length using the apps desktop version. The feature is launching globally this week, making it much easier to post content to the social network. Instagram had previously allowed you to access your feed through the browser, but only for messaging and checking updates.
5. LinkedIn leaves China, amid struggles to commit to regulatory pressure
LinkedIn is shutting down in China due to increased control over online activity within the region. LinkedIn stated: “While we’ve found success in helping Chinese members find jobs and economic opportunity, we have not found that same level of success in the more social aspects of sharing and staying informed.”