Across platforms: What’s new in the social world
If you had told someone twenty years ago about all of the different ways we’re socializing today, they wouldn’t have believed you.
As we spend our days scrolling through, chatting on, double tapping, and engaging with all of the social media platforms at our disposal, it’s hard to imagine new platforms popping up to add on to our long list of apps, right? Wrong!
Just this year, we’ve seen the way that we interact with social media and our connections change as we’ve been shut in our homes. To adapt to these changing needs, existing social media platforms are coming up with new ways to pique our interest.
Though these platforms aren’t necessarily new, they are creating buzz with their new features and rise in popularity. See what we’re talking about below! 👇
Clubhouse
Though this platform launched back in 2020, it seems only recently it’s making noise and earning its reputation as an inclusive (despite the exclusive aspect of being invite-only) platform encouraging candid conversations on all sorts of topics. From interior design to mental health to pop culture, you can find almost any topic to chat about - whether being a passion of yours or something you’re looking to learn more about.
The audio-only platform, which some people compare to talk-radio (who could forget that!) features ‘rooms’ hosted by anyone from your next-door neighbour to top C-suite executives, even A-list celebrities. Recently, Lori Hatcher and Mel Smith from Truss Beverages joined in on a conversation with the founder of Femme Studios to chat everything from the cannabis industry and the introduction of CIB (cannabis-infused bevies) to their career paths, sharing some very insightful tips and thought-starters for interview processes, especially as a female.
For those who haven’t jumped on the platform bandwagon, this is your sign to do so!
YouTube Shorts
Everything is a trend nowadays and it’s in large part a result of TikTok (ahem feta pasta). With an app so highly-addictive it’s become a normal conversation starter, it was only a matter of time before someone came for its quick video clips. First Instagram with its ‘Reels’ and now YouTube has introduced ‘Shorts’.
Shorts launched in India a few months ago, generating 6.8B views a day, and earlier this week, launched in the US. Similar to TikTok videos, Shorts will allow the user to create “short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones”.
Will YouTube Shorts be the new TikToks? Only time will tell…
Instagram Kids
There’s certainly a reason that you need to be a certain age before joining social media, social media was not built with kids in mind. But as the YOUTH are becoming more active on social media, especially during the pandemic, kids already have online social lives.
With their safety in mind, Facebook announced that it’s working on a version of its Instagram app for kids under 13. While it already has Messenger Kids, a popular texting app for children ages 6-12, this is sure to cater to this new cohort of social media users.
