2016 Summer of Social Media

Doug Strahler

2016 Summer of Social Media

COMM307: Social Media #srusm

June Highlights• Instagram: user-base has surged to 500 million

active monthly users• Facebook: Redesigns Like Button; Launches

new Facebook Live features (two-person broadcasts & pre-scheduled broadcasts) & 360-degree photo integration

• Twitter: Announced “Stickers”; continuesgrowing branded emojis; emoji ad targeting;140-second video, & Twitter Engage App

• Pinterest: Announced 4 new ecommerce features• Snapchat: Surpasses Twitter in avg. daily users

Facebook introduces DeepText • Facebook Code:

“DeepText, a deep learning-based text understanding engine that can understand with near-human accuracy the textual content of several thousands posts per second, spanning more than 20 languages.”• Word-level and character-

level based learning• DeepText Explained (

video)

June 1, 2016

Instagram Launches Business Profiles• Instagram Business Blog:

Recognized as a business profile

• New Features • Contact button• Access to insights• Ability to turn well-performing

posts into ads from within the Instagram app

• What does this mean?• “..better understand its

audience, tailor its content and refine its marketing strategy.”

June 5, 2016

The State of the News Media 2016• Pew Research Center• Examines trends and shows

digital technology continues to upend the news industry

• Half of American adults now get news from Facebook

• Mobile continues its takeover• $31.6 billion (53%) of total

digital advertising was spent on mobile ads; video ad spending climbed 46 percent

June 19, 2016

#Brexit, #Bremain, & #EUreferendum• Vote for UK to remain or

leave the EU• What did SM teach us?• Zoomph: Sentiment split; millenials• Post-vote, Journalist James O’Malley

posts an online petition to Change.org

• Most tweets on the 24th dealt with questions on what the vote would mean, plus #WhatHaveWeDone & #NotInMyName

• Gizmodo: Google Searches Suggest Many in UK Don’t Understand Brexit• 250% spike in searches “What happens if

we leave the EU” (Google Trends)

June 23-24, 2016

July Highlights• Facebook: 1.7 Billion monthly active users• Twitter: Demographic data available for

brands with Gnip’s Audience API & Open Verification for all users

• Snapchat: Introduced “Memories,” lets users save, search for, and reuse their Snaps and Stories

Pokémon Go• Traditional Pokémon game

introduced to the real world • Look for the critters, catch

them, train them and battle with them

• Location-based, augmented reality, multiplayer online mobile game

• PokéStops & PokéGyms

• What does Pokémon Go tell us about the future of marketing communication?

July 6, 2016

Pokémon Go Stats• Launched July 6th • July 23rd: 20 million daily

active users• August 1st: 100+ million

downloads• 78% 18-24 years old• Largest demographic:

Men, 21-27• Avg. daily playing time: 26

minutes• Estimated revenue:

$200m

July 2016

Pokémon Go for Marketing CommunicationJuly 2016

Pokémon Go Ethical & Legal Concerns• PokéStops at Auschwitz, the

Holocaust Memorial Museum & Arlington National Cemetery

• Cases of trespassing• Sex offenders playing the

game to engage children• People walking into traffic and

falling from cliffs while searching for Pokémon

• Global awareness: Syrian children holding pictures of Pokémon characters and asking the world to save them

July 2016

Adults Invade Snapchat!!• comScore: Growth with

adult users due to the app continually evolving & providing tools to create engaging content (i.e. Stories, Lenses)

July 8, 2016

Milo Yiannopoulos’ Twitter Ban• @Nero, Breitbart writer• The Guardian: Twitter

permanently banned Milo after claims he fanned flames of social media attack on Ghostbusters’ Leslie Jones• #FreeMil0

• Raised question of regulation with free speech (NPR)• What does this mean to

the future of regulation?

July 8, 2016

August Highlights• Facebook: Updated algorithm to reduce click bait &

prioritize informative stories• Twitter: Instant Unlock Card for ads; Moments

opened to more curators; use emojis in name & bio• Instagram: Introduces “Stories” & Event

Channels on Explore• Pinterest: Native video player coming

soon• LinkedIn: Influencer videos

#RioOlympics• Brands tie to the values of

Olympics & what the Olympics represent

• New line of emoji hashtags for each country & general Olympic

• Increase in live video & second screen experience• Snapchat targeted

millennials through athletes’ stories and successes

• Final results show SM underperformed

August 5-21, 2016

#RioOlympics MemesAugust 5-21, 2016

#PhelpsFace

#RioOlympics: Internet Trolls, Bullying, & SexismAugust 5-21, 2016

Pinterest Improvements• Pinterest Blog:• Send Pins and board invites

to anyone, whether you follow one another or not

• Improved search to make it easier for users to find people they know

• Send Pins, boards, and profiles across apps, including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and text message

• The ability to turn off “Picked for you” suggested Pins so that they don’t appear in home feed

August 18, 2016