41st Week Roundup: Tiktok Expands AR Creator Program, Snapchat Users are Disappointed and more!
This week’s digital news roundup includes TikTok expanding its AR Program, Utah’s Lawsuit Against TikTok, Instagram’s Holiday Stickers and Snapchat’s Bitmoji Update, Meta’s Threads, Microsoft’s Holiday Guide, Google Indexing Bug, Reddit’s Boost 2.0 as well as X’s premium Tiers. TikTok Expands AR Creator Rewards Program, Boosting AR Engagement Globally TikTok has expanded the Creator Effects rewards program to additional areas to improve (AR) involvement within the application. It was initially launched in six countries in May. Still, the program is now available to creators from various countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, and many other countries. TikTok has also reduced the requirements for entry for creators by reducing the required videos for obtaining the badge. Creators now need to attain the Gold badge with five effects that have been published and at least three utilized in 1,000 videos. Furthermore, TikTok is lowering payout thresholds, allowing creators to receive more often. However, the maximum amount for one effect is $14,000, while the maximum monthly amount paid to the creator is restricted to $50,000. This new feature is intended to boost excitement for creating effects, attract new creators, and help keep TikTok ahead of the ever-changing AR trends, specifically in the face of competitors with Snapchat, Apple, and Meta in the AR market. This is a sign of TikTok’s commitment to the long-term viability of its app by being up-to-date with the most recent developments regarding AR engagement. Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-ar-creator-rewards-program-expands/696335/ Utah Files Lawsuit Against TikTok, Alleging Addictive Algorithmic Practices Utah’s state has initiated legal action to stop TikTok and its main company, ByteDance, in response to concerns about the algorithmic sorting processes that result in an addictive experience, especially for children. The lawsuit filed by Utah claims that TikTok utilizes extremely powerful algorithms and manipulative features. Some of these have similarities to slot machines, leading to youngsters being addicted to the site. The leading social media marketing company in Mumbai states that the lawsuit, however, raises doubts about the extent to which TikTok’s actions constitute fraudulent behavior due to its model of adjusting content to users’ preferences like traditional TV. The state is seeking civil penalties and an injunction to deter TikTok from violating state law regarding deceptive business practices, in line with a wider trend of state-based legal challenges to TikTok in the U.S. These legal challenges stem from claims that social networking platforms employ features designed to be addictive and manipulate users’ brains through activating dopamine release, causing legal concerns about the appropriate limit for addictive behavior and deceitful behavior in this regard. Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/utah-sues-tiktok-over-harmful-impacts-young-users/696375/ Instagram Tests New Stickers to Boost Engagement for the Holiday Season Instagram is testing new stickers designed to increase the engagement of users and engagement, with a particular focus on the coming holiday season. One of these stickers is an “App” sticker created to allow users to advertise other apps on their Stories directly. This could be an excellent tool for advertising special offers, products, or creative tools, and marketers could use it to promote app promotions in the run-up to the sales event of the holidays. In addition, Instagram is testing a “Secret” sticker that will only be seen by users who reply to the Story with a text message. It could be an interesting method to encourage direct responses and increase engagement. The platform also tests a “Music Choose” sticker that lets customers upload their most-loved tracks, creating an experience of sharing a mixtape between friends. The experts from the leading social media marketing company in Mumbai say that these updates align with Instagram’s current shift towards more private group sharing, focusing on smaller group chats and more private interactions as users shift away from posting on public platforms. Instagram’s strategy seems designed to keep users active and prevent them from moving into other apps during the holidays. Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-experiments-new-stickers-facilitate-engagement-holiday/696067/ Snap Users Express Discontent Over Latest Bitmoji Update Snapchat’s latest Bitmoji update, which includes advanced hair texture, face shading, body proportions, and face shading for avatars, has been met with mixed feedback from users. Although the update offers a more technologically sophisticated and visually appealing appearance to Bitmoji avatars, some Snap users are unhappy with the new features. The new Bitmoji pictures often appear drastically different from previous versions, leading to an outrage similar to the negative reactions Snap faced in 2018 when it launched an updated app layout. Snapchat is unique in providing intimate chats between small groups of friends and generating a feeling of ownership and a protectionist attitude within its user base. The leading social media marketing agency says that the Snap development team works to improve and evolve to changing technology. Users’ backlash reveals the difficulty of implementing modifications that align with the evolution of technology while maintaining the cherished aspects of Snapchat. With time, users’ opinions tend to improve, but this also highlights the importance of taking careful notes when releasing updates. Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/snap-users-unhappy-latest-bitmoji-update/696046/ Meta’s Threads App Enhances Features to Compete with X and Attract Media Organizations Meta’s Twitter-like app Threads is currently working on introducing various popular features that will improve the user experience and even rival Elon Musk’s X application. The forthcoming “Trending Topics” feature in Threads is designed to keep users informed of current conversations within the app, providing an overview of the most popular chats. Users can tap on topics to follow the current discussions, making Threads an even more important source for live news conversations, even if it’s not focused on news or politics. Threads will also expand the options for creating posts, such as post-chat, GIFs, and polls in the streams. The users will have more options to interact and engage with these features. In addition, Threads is testing the editing features within a specific time frame after posting and new ways to advertise threads activities of users both on Instagram profiles as well as in the application. As X is facing issues and media companies seek alternatives because of concerns over the