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Social Media In September 2016

From new technology to new platform names and US voting, September has been a most interesting month for social media. Last month, Social Media in August 2016, we profiled the development of Instagram and how it was directly taking on SnapChat. Well, SnapChat has responded with some very exciting developments.

Put your sunglasses on and read below for this month’s most exciting updates.

Snap Inc.

SnapChat is no more! Welcome Snap Inc. One of social media’s trendiest platforms has undergone a rebrand and will now be known as Snap Inc. We quite like the new name as it reminds us of Monsters Inc.

This change in brand name took place in September 24th as they announced the release of Spectacles, their new type of camera (see below). Stating that their brand now encompassed more than one product, it was relevant that the name reflected their multiple projects.

“You can search SnapChat or Spectacles for the fun stuff and leave Snap Inc. for the Wall Street crowd :)” says Evan, co-founder of Snap Inc.

Snap Spectacles

History in the making. This is the first time a social media platform has ever designed and built hardware specifically for their platform. Would you wear these Snap Spectacles? Available in three colours.

Which colour frames would you choose; red, black or blue? These Spectacles boast some cool features.

  • Shoot 10 second videos with one click.
  • The world’s smallest wireless camera.
  • Spectacles charge in their case and can be used for a whole day on a single charge.
  • The camera field of view is 115 degrees.
  • Videos are circular and can play in any orientation.

We cannot wait to see what they are like to use but as yet, there is no release date.

Instant Videos in Facebook Messenger

This is one of those features you thought already existed. Maybe a sign that it is a natural addition to Facebook Messenger. Before this update it was only possible to record a video and then send it via messenger. Now your contact can watch your video in real-time.

 

It seems that it is Facebook’s ambition that this new feature be used for small every day occasions. “It’s perfect for sharing quick moments with friends who aren’t right by your side or making your conversations richer by seeing each other face-to-face when you are messaging.”

Is this a feature you would use? Why not message us and let us know?

US citizens register to vote via Twitter

The US election is certainly hotting up and looks to be a historic one. As you can imagine, it is important that everyone casts a vote and, as such, Twitter is looking to add an alternative way to register to vote. This is significant as it may herald a new way of engaging voters to take part in the election of their governments.

This system is quite simple, “when someone sends a private, Direct Message to Twitter’s @Gov account with their five-digit zip code, they will receive an automatic Direct Message response including their State’s voter registration deadline and a personalised link to get registered.”

Pinteresting TV stats

Recent statistics from Pinterest show a correlation between Pinterest activity and TV. In fact, it seems some savvy brands are already utilising this correlation to drive traffic and engagement on their profiles within the platform.

Key points released by Pinterest state:

  • 45% of people on Pinterest use the app while watching TV.
  • 2/3 pay more attention to Pinterest than the TV show.
  • Half engage with Pinterest for the entire TV show.
  • 47% of the time, what they see on TV sparks activity on Pinterest

Are you one of the 45% that use this app while watching TV?

Thank you for reading. Are there any September social developments we missed? Has the above been interesting to you? Let us know your thoughts and please share this blog with others. See you next month.