What a wild tangled web Facebook has been in since our last installment of Social Media in the News.
We’ll first start with what may be happening VERY SOON – a name change and rebranding of Facebook (the company). While Facebook (the app) likely won’t see any major changes, Facebook (the company) will reveal a new name.
🚨 UPDATE 🚨 Less than a day after publishing this, Facebook announced that the company was changing its name to Meta.
Facebook owns numerous apps outside of its namesake, including Instagram and WhatsApp. (Find the full list HERE from its mergers and acquisitions over the past 15 years.)
The name change comes after a rough month for the company:
- In early October, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went down. That gave Twitter another 15 minutes of fame as the go-to source for memes about the issue.
- A whistleblower said that Facebook is misleading the public on progress about hate speech and other misinformation.
- Another report says that Facebook recommended QAnon groups to a new user in the first week of joining the platform.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has fired back at the recent reports.
“My view is that what we are seeing is a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture of our company,” according to a CNBC report. “The reality is that we have an open culture, where we encourage discussion and research about our work so we can make progress on many complex issues that are not specific to just us.”
We’ll keep you updated on what happens in the coming weeks!
Here’s a look at what else has been happening across social media in October:
- Users can now (finally) post photos and videos from their desktops. The formatting is similar to that in the app.
- Instagram has retired IGTV and rebranded all videos outside of Reels as “Instagram Video.” Users can post videos up to 60 minutes long.
- Instagram is launching new tools that make it easier for creators to collaborate and partner with brands. As part of the changes, influencers can now add digital storefronts to their profiles.
TikTok
- TikTok has been ordered to pay $92 million in a class action settlement for violating user privacy.
- If you’re looking for a very last-minute Halloween costume idea, TikTok has you covered.
- TikTok partnered with Nielsen recently to find out why people use the app. The overwhelming reason: it’s authentic. Other reasons include that the app brings people joy and has a strong sense of community.
- Is PayPal trying to buy Pinterest? PayPal officially says not right now, but reports say the online banking giant made an offer recently to buy Pinterest.
- Pinterest continues to focus on creators, launching a Tik Tok-inspired vertical feed and a program to invest $20 million in “Creator Rewards.”
- A longtime YouTube executive – Malik Ducard – has been named Pinterest’s first chief content officer.
What’s Trending
A 2-year-old in Australia has some adorable messages filled with love and positivity! Check out one of these videos below:
