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Meta Follows Twitter’s Lead, Unveils Paid Verification Service for FB & IG

元平台公司(原名Facebookc.) has launched a new paid subscription service, allowing users to verify their accounts using government-issued identification. This verification will give users a blue tick mark, similar to what is already available on Twitter, to indicate that their accounts are authentic.

It will cost $11.99 for web access or $14.99 a month on iOS and Android. Meta’s new subscription service, which grants users a verification badge in exchange for a monthly fee, is similar to Twitter’s revamped Twitter Blue service. There will be no changes to accounts on Instagram and Facebook that are already verified based on prior requirements, including authenticity and notability.

How will subscribers benefit?

Subscribers to Meta’s new paid subscription service will enjoy several benefits, including,

1. Account Verification
2. Protection from impersonators
3. Increased visibility of their posts
4. Easy access to customer service
5. Increased exposure on Instagram’s Explore page and Reels
6. Reduction in fake accounts

Zuckerberg in a Facebookpostsaid, Meta Verified“is about increasing authenticity and security across our services.”

Meta is the latest social platform to add a paid subscription feature. But why?

Meta’s introduction of pay-for-identity verification on social media is a sign of the company’s efforts to diversify its revenue streams. Its ad business has declined following Apple’s decision to curtail its ability to track users’ online activities on iOS after it introduced stringent privacy changes. Last year, Facebook, which makes its money almost entirely through advertising, estimated that Apple’s move would lose the company $10 billion in ad revenue by 2022.

Meta is already late to the party! Other major platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat, have already launched premium subscription services to appeal to their most dedicated users and increase their average revenue per user (ARPU).

Meta Verified will be rolled out first in Australia and New Zealand this week and in other countries soon. While most other platforms have tested subscription plans in the U.S., Meta plans to start with a smaller market.

Paid verification badge programs are becoming more common as companies attempt to generate additional revenue. However, users are increasingly selective about paid services, even for products and services they receive. Identity verification is particularly intangible, which may make it even less appealing to users. Although it is a smart move to help diversify against the dependence on ad revenue, its success is undetermined. Conservatively, even if it converts a small percentage of its monthly active users, it can generate meaningful revenue.

It will be interesting to witness if the users find it valuable to pay for these services.

Interesting Read:The AI Search War: Microsoft & Google Compete for Search Engine Leadership

Twitter Rolls Out Branded Likes in Saudi Arabia

TwitterbringsBranded Likes to all managed advertisers reaching consumers in Saudi Arabia. It also rolled out in other countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

We're launching#BrandedLikes, a feature that lets advertisers customize Twitter’s Like button animation for 24 hours.

Branded Likes will appear on any organic or promoted Tweets that contain the advertiser-selected hashtags after an individual has liked that Tweet.pic.twitter.com/mBRRTWtAru

— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness)June 30, 2022

As it can be seen in the tweet, Branded Likes let advertisers transform Twitter’s Like button into a delightful, custom animation for 24 hours.Twitter解释说,迪斯尼等几个品牌,特易购nd more have tested Branded Likes. The results show that it drives conversation and engagement around the biggest launches and brand moments, and create memorable, interactive experiences with consumers.

Interesting Read:Lemma Partners With Continuum, Expand DOOH Presence In The Middle East

How does this new feature work?

• Branded Likes are available in Twitter’sTimeline Takeoverad offering, which ensures a brand’s ad is the first ad to appear when someone opens Twitter for the first time that day. The pairing helps advertisers to maximize brand exposure and drive additional engagement.
• As part of the Takeover ad, advertisers can select a hashtag (and up to 10 translations of the hashtag) for their Branded Like animation.Bare Tree Mediais the partner for activations running in Saudi Arabia, the U.S, and the U.K to create custom artwork for the campaign.
• The custom branded like will appear when a consumer taps the like button on an organic/promoted tweet with the pre-selected hashtag.
• Finally, it will appear for up to 24 hours in the same geography as the brand’s Timeline Takeover.

Twitter表示,在测试新功能delivers ad effectiveness for brands when paired with Timeline Takeover.

“Branded Likes generated positive impact when paired with Timeline Takeover, seeing a +277% lift in the recall, and +202% lift in purchase and consideration intent.”

Even though Branded Likes add personality to the tweets and spark interest but involves high cost and scale. Twitter has not provided any price range as of now. It is certainly an intriguing offering that will add some variety to the tweet stream.

Interesting Read:Marriott International: A Hotel or An Ad Tech Company?

Facebook On TikTok With Verified Account

Social platforms setting up shop on other social platforms and the latest example is Facebook is on TikTok. Astonished? Is this your next thought – what’sFacebookdoing on TikTok? Buying ads or just another social account on TikTok?

We’ll know soon enough because the social networking company has set up its own TikTok account. The account is verified and had roughly more than 15,000 followers at the time of this post, but it had not shared any videos or other content, save for a link to the Facebook application on Google Play.

A Meta spokesperson said,

“Brands leverage a variety of channels, including some of our social media platforms, to reach and engage with the people using their products and services every day. “Our intent with establishing a brand presence and cultivating community on platforms like TikTok or others is no different.”

Don’t be surprised!

The different social platforms often have accounts on each other’s sites and apps. For example,Meta on Twitterprovides regular news and updates. APinterestaccount on Facebook promotes its ads in several languages. Well,TikTok also has an Instagram accountwith 26million followers to promote the content.

Likewise, Facebook may be looking to boost its Gen Z user base by leveragingTikTok(or its ad platform) after recently reporting flat growth in monthly active users in its last quarter. With the decline in Facebook’s popularity, they might be building a content strategy, especially for the younger generation.

Another likely factor is Facebook…Errr…Meta is delving deep into the metaverse, and the Roblox user base is primarily 25 and under, with a sizable proportion of people aged nine to sixteen. The fact that large brands utilize various channels for marketing and communication makes it a little amusing to see Facebook pop up onTikTok. However, TikTok gives Meta a way to connect with younger users that aren’t on Facebook or Instagram today.

It will be interesting to witness the content of Facebook on TikTok.Well, isn’t it Meta now?

Twitter Shops: Tests In-App Shops For Brands

The social networking site isrolling out a beta version of Twitter Shops,which lets sellers set up a virtual storefront for customers to browse. In fact, the Twitter Shops won’t actually let you purchase anything directly – instead, you’ll be linked out to a company’s website in an in-app browser to make your actual purchase.

PUT YOUR STORE ON TWITTER

Twitter Shops extends the “shop module” that was launched last summer. Unlike the shop module, which displays just a handful of products on the profile page, the new update allows stores to have a dedicated space to display up to 50 items. The feature, which is currently deployed to a few businesses, has already been enabled for the shops. According to Twitter, the features are currently available to brands such as@Verizon,@ArdenCove,@LatinxInPower,@GayPrideApp,and@AllIDoIsCookUS. The shops are only viewable to “select merchants and managed partners in the US” and are free to use. People who use Twitter in English on iPhones in the US will see the shops for now.

Shops are Twitter’s latest attempt to reach out to shoppers, following the launch of the Shop Module. Twitter describes the feature as an “experiment,” but it has hinted at much larger plans in the space. Additionally, shopping ties into Twitter’s recent efforts to providecreators with monetization tools,该公司一直在驾驶购物有限元分析tures in live streams.

E-Commerce Expansion And Challenges

Twitter sees e-commerce as a major opportunity. A period of rapid development followed the e-commerce expansion, during which the micro wasrolling out featuresat a ridiculously fast pace.In any case, the challenge Twitter faces in e-commerce is how users perceive its platform. Given Twitter’s still text-heavy nature, it’s not clear how many users see it as a place to discover products. (Periscope, Twitter’s live video tool, and Vine, a TikTok forerunner, were both shut down over the years)

Meanwhile, today’s online shoppers prefer to shop on social media via Instagram photos and videos, and increasingly throughTikTokvideos.TikTok’s viral trends, in particular, have the potential to drive more spontaneous purchases. Statistics show37%of TikTok users immediately purchased a product after they saw it on the platform, and67%bought it even when they weren’t looking to shop.

There’s no doubt that Twitter wants a piece of that action, too. But competitors like TikTok don’t just add a feature tacked on; rather, it makes online shopping part of its core functionality through its immersive video and personalized home feed.

Twitter Unveiled A Creator Dashboard – A Way To Manage Earnings

Microblogging site Twitter has introduced a new tool for its creators called the“Creator Dashboard“that will analyze their revenue on the platform.According to the company, the new tool is designed to help creators analyze how they make money onTwitterand how much they are earning from monetization features –Super Followsand Ticketed Spaces. The firm said in a statement,

“Introducing the Creator Dashboard a new way to help you view your earnings & track your Super Follow subscriptions over time, for now, we are testing with some creators on iOS — can’t wait to hear what you think.”

The Creator Dashboard is available to all U.S. creators on iOS who have at least 10,000 followers and use Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces. It can be accessed through the Monetization tab of the app.Twitter’s latest monetization tool is part of its growing set of tools, which has become a stronger focus over the past year, enabling it to provide new income streams for creators and keep popular users tweeting more often.

New Additions On Twitter

Over the past year, Twitter has added:

Professional Profilesfor businesses and creators, which provide more opportunities to promote your business and offerings in the app.

Profiles forSuper Follows, which enables creators to choose add-on options and exclusive content for a monthly fee (up to $9.99).

Ticketed Spacesfor broadcasters, with 97% of any revenue generated going back to the creator

On-profile tipping,which it recently expanded allows users to make more payment options, which will enable users in more regions to accept payments

So far, none of these elements have become a significant revenue stream for the app. It’s early days, but if Twitter can develop a self-sustaining creator ecosystem, that will fuel engagement.Twitter’s also seeking to make sure it’s competitive on this front, at least to an extent. If creators can earn a greater income from one platform or another, that will eventually be where their focus will be. The consequence of that shift will be that other platforms are relegated to the broader ‘creator economy’, which will lower their overall audience share.

Interesting Read:AppLovin Closes Acquisition of Twitter’s MoPub Business For $1.05 Billion

You Can Now Charge For Tweets With Twitter’s New ‘Super Follows’

Starting today,Twitter is launching Super Follows, its premium membership option.

The function, which was initially announced in February, would allow users to pay a monthly fee to subscribe to accounts they enjoy in return for exclusive material. Super Follows are another valuable tool for artists amid the growing patchwork of revenue opportunities available across social media.

Eligible accounts can charge $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 per month forSuper Follow memberships, which is equivalent to the cost of a paid newsletter. They may then opt to make some tweets exclusive to subscribers while still reaching out to their unpaid followers on a regular basis.

Super Follows: Paid Vs Unpaid Subscribers

Paid subscribers will be distinguished from unpaid followers amidst the crowded tweets by a unique Super Follower badge. The badge appears in replies, allowing followers to communicate directly with the accounts they want to support.

Super Follows will appear as a separate button on the profile page for accounts that have the feature enabled. ( like the picture above)

Similar News:Twitter Tests New Feature to Limit Sharing of Unread Articles

Super Follows: An Exclusive Affair

Super Follows isn’t enabled by default for everyone. For the time being, the procedure is still application-only, with a waiting list. The option can be found under the Monetization section of the app’s sidebar, but users must be based in the United States and have at least 10K followers and 25 tweets in the past month to be eligible.

Starting today, iOSTwitter usersin the United States and Canada will be able to Super Follow certain accounts, with additional users around the world receiving the feature in the following weeks. On the creator side, Super Follows are now onlyavailable on iOS, with Android and desktop compatibility “coming soon.”

Similar News:Instagram Rolls Out Ad Feature To The Shops Tab Globally

Super Follows: How It Will Impact Twitter’s Revenue

Twitter claims that Super Follow earnings will be subject toApple or Google’sregular, though contentious, 30% in-app purchase fees. For the first $50,000 earned through Super Follows, Twitter will only take a 3% share of profits – a bonus for smaller accounts just getting started or anybody who utilizes the paid Twitter tool to augment other creative income elsewhere. Twitter will begin collecting a 20% cut after an account reaches $50,000 in revenue.

Also Read:Taboola Acquires Connexity, A Global Leader In E-Commerce Media

Twitter Enters into eCommerce, Tests ‘Shop Module’ Feature For iOs Users

Twitter enters a robust social media eCommerce market and unveiled the pilot of the Shop Module in the U.S. It allows the user to directly shop the products from a business profile without leaving the Twitter app.

Twitter explained in its blogpost,

“The Shop Module is a dedicated space at the top of a profile where businesses can showcase their products. When people visit a profile with the Shop Module enabled, they can scroll through the carousel of products and tap through on a single product to learn more and purchase – seamlessly in an in-app browser, without having to leave Twitter.”

US Twitter users can scroll through the carousel of products on their Apple devices. They can tap through a single product and learn more about it and decide whether to buy or not. The company further added,

“With this pilot, we’ll get to explore how our engaged, responsive and chatty audience reacts to products that are emotionally charged — like a new jersey from your favorite sports team — or that provide lasting impact — like a new skincare regimen. And, fundamentally, it’ll give us the chance to keep learning about which shopping experiences people prefer on Twitter.”

It is not surprising that Twitter is also jumping the bandwagon withFacebook Marketplace,TikTok,Whatsapp, andInstagrambeing big competitors. As quoted by Business Insider, Twitter’s Revenue Product Lead Bruce Falck said,

“We know people come to Twitter to interact with brands and discuss their favorite products. Imagine easily discovering, and quickly purchasing a new skincare product or trendy sneaker from a brand you follow with only a few clicks.”

Even though Twitter said that they are in early explorations but significant opportunities lie ahead. With Shop Module, the social media giant intends to capitalize on the booming social commerce market that grew rapidly during the coronavirus pandemic. Twitter is initially testing with a handful of brands before making any decision of a broader rollout. Stay Tuned, we will keep you updated on the progress.

Influencer Marketing Comes Back Strong Amidst Pandemic Crisis

The pandemic had disrupted every industry forcing marketers to shift their plans and thrust into an uncertain and swiftly changing landscape.品牌比p寻找独立的创造者roductions due to pandemic restrictions such as sheltering in place.

The industry was in troubled waters as pandemic had put a pause on all the plans, took many industries out of the market, and affected many influencers’ content. Some marketers even continued with Facebook boycotts or social media pauses.

It has been quite a challenging period forinfluencers.However, the influencer industry is recovering and bouncing back, showing incredible resilience and creativity. Consumers are spending more time on social media interacting with content creators after being cooped up at home. With budgeting constraints and large scale, ad production is difficult, brands are turning to independent creators for a quick, less-expensive, and easy-to-produce creative content. This is providing the much-required boost to the influencer marketing industry.

Numbers Says It All

Social Bakers released the State of Influencer Marketing Report and found out that there is a fall in sponsored content from March to May and a pivot towards micro-influencers. Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CEO, Socialbakers said,

“Nano and micro-influencers are now seen as high-value resources, bringing high impact without the big price tag of macro and mega influencers. As budgets remain tight, savvy brands will likely continue to expand partnerships with these smaller influencers as part of a smarter social media strategy in the wake of the continuing worldwide pandemic.”

Another finding by Shareablee, an audience-based social media measurement company states that branded content from influencers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter was up 21% in July from March despite a decline in sponsored influencers post- 87% on Instagram and 57% on Facebook in April compared to last year.

Influencer marketing has changed in several ways during the outbreak. There is a shift in consumer behavior more towards digital in this pandemic due to the lockdown. The engagement with branded influencers posts grew 5 times faster to 57.2 million total actions in July compared with March, according to Shareablee.

A rise in sponsored posts is seen since July after the volume fell almost 17 percent in March and another 6 percent in April reveals Data from CreatorIQ.

This proves that the industry is still very strong and influencers are quick to adapt with conversion rates increased across platforms in the pandemic. As quoted in Adage, Melissa Rosenthal, co-founder at Circle said,

“Brands took a few weeks to figure out how to position themselves for a new world. Now I’m seeing probably 5 times the outreach I was seeing pre-pandemic. Small brands, large brands, new brands, everyone.”

The pandemic is benefitting the influencers with the increase in viewership as alternate media or sports events have declined drastically. Presently, influencers are the only production houses that are open and can make new, creative, and custom content for brands amidst pandemic restrictions. According to the eMarketer report, followers are looking for more DIY activities and short videos.

Clorox Followed The Influencer Way!

Clorox.Co is getting back to sponsored influencer work after a pandemic pause.Through the Reach Agency, Clorox recently teamed up with YouTube comedians The Try Guys to market its latest scent of Fresh Step cat litter. In the video, the creators open the world’s smelliest foods to demonstrate the ability of new Fresh Step cat litter with Febreze Freshness and Gain Scent covers the odors. The video garnered nearly a million organic views on its first day on August 15. The partnership with Try Guys who have 7.3 million subscribers is Clorox’s third venture into influencer-led demo-tainment.

Clorox shifted the plan of conventional ads to influencer content while planning the campaign in March as the pandemic situation would make it hard to produce ads. Another major decision taken by the brand was toboycott Facebook and Instagramadvertising for the remaining year while the project was ongoing.

As reported in Adage, Deb Crandall, director of marketing and studio lead said,

“We have had to ask our partners not to post this on their Facebook or Instagram channels, and we’re not putting any paid support behind it. It definitely takes a channel out of the mix to reach our audience, but that’s why we’re excited about the results we’re seeing. To reach almost a million views without Facebook or Instagram makes us think we’re onto something.”

Finally, brands and creators are learning to operate in the ‘ new normal ’. In the time of crisis, savvy social media influencers are engaging with their followers in a fairly two-way communication that even brands could never have on their own.

Unilever to Follow Other Brands in Boycotting Facebook Advertising

Highlights:

• A growing number of brands are joining the protest #StopHateForProfit, a month-long boycott of Facebook Advertising initiated by civil rights groups in response to social media giant’s handling of hate speech and misinformation.
• 营销人员也加入了抗议和超过90Unilever is the latest to join the list who has paused brand advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in the U.S. for the rest of the year.
• Facebook and Twitter shares plunged more than 7% after Unilever’s announcement.

What started as a slow protest by advertisers pulling ads from Facebook has turned into a growing boycott of the social media platform over its weak stance on hate and misinformation. Facebook shares fell more than 7% after Unilever, one of the world’s largest advertisers, joined other brands to boycott ads on social media. Unilever will no more spend on Facebook properties for advertising this year.

Mark Zuckerberg loses $7 billion after a flurry of companies pulled advertising from Facebook. The Guardian has described it as Facebook’s“largest-ever advertiser boycott”.

Background:

The campaign‘Stop Hate For Profit’isorganized by many advocacy groups including the Anti-defamation league, NAACP, Colors of change to name a few. The campaign calls on all businesses to stop advertising on Facebook for July and demand that it tighten their content policies against hate speech and racism. It also calls for businesses to hit its main source of income- advertising, as it made $70 billion last year that accounts for nearly 99% of its total revenue.

Why It Matters:

抵制损害了Facebook的声誉increased political pressure ahead of the election, however, it would make an insignificant difference on its bottom line given the size of the company.

Driving The News:

Here are brands that have committed to cease their Facebook spending and for a certain timeline.

– Unilever, for the rest of the year

Unileveris the latest advertiser to join the bandwagon to boycott ads on Facebook and Facebook-owned platform Instagram. It is also the first to extend the boycott to the rival platform Twitter. According to Pathmatics, an ad tracking firm, Unilever was 33rd biggest advertiser on Facebook spending over $2 million in the first three weeks of June alone.The company said in a statement,

“Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society.”

– Verizon, through July month

The company told CNBC that it will pull out ads from all the Facebook services on June 25.

– Levi Strauss & Co., through at least end of July

The denim clothing company said June 26 in a statement,

“We want to see meaningful progress toward ending the amplification of misinformation and hate speech and better addressing of political advertisements and content that contributes to voter suppression.”

– American Honda, through July

The U.S auto brand said it would stop paid advertising for July on Facebook and Instagram. A spokesperson from the company said it will post organically on both platforms during this time. It also said,“This is in alignment with our company’s values, which are grounded in human respect.”

– Arc’teryx, through at least July

The Canadian clothing brand joining the campaign tweeted,“Facebook profits ‘will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism & violence.’

We need a break@facebook. Effective immediately, we will be halting our global advertising with@Facebook&@Instagramuntil at least the end of July in support of the#stophateforprofitcampaign & donating those dollars towards building more inclusive outdoors.

— Arc'teryx (@Arcteryx)June 23, 2020

– Ben & Jerry’s, through at least July

The company in support of the campaign tweeted that Facebook must take clear and unequivocal actions.

We will pause all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram in the US in support of the#StopHateForProfitcampaign. Facebook, Inc. must take the clear and unequivocal actions to stop its platform from being used to spread and amplify racism and hate. >>>https://t.co/7OpxtcbDGgpic.twitter.com/I989Uk9V3h

— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys)June 23, 2020

– Diageo, beginning July 1

Spirits giant said on June 27 that it will pause paid advertising globally on all major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter beginning July 1.

Diageo statement on social media advertising pause.pic.twitter.com/kRIsdFjgzk

— Diageo News (@Diageo_News)June 27, 2020

– Birchbox, through July month

The makeup company said in an Instagram post on June 26 that they pause all paid advertisements in support of the campaign.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6F4UmDBNN/?utm_source=ig_embed

– Coca-Cola, through late July

Coca-Cola said in a statement that it plans to pause advertising on all social media platforms for at least 30 days while it revisits its advertising policies. James Quincey, chairman, and CEO said,“We also expect greater accountability and transparency from our social media partners.”

However, it’s decision is not a part of the campaign.

– JanSport, Habitat for Humanity through July month

The backpack producertweetedon Jun 27 that it will stop advertising for the month of July “to join the fight for stricter policies that keep racist, violent & hateful content from proliferating on these platforms.”

The global non-profit also joined the campaign and paused all paid advertising on Facebook services for July month in a Twitterpost.

– Hershey, through July month and 1/3rd for rest of the year

The Hershey Company in a statement to USA Today,

“We do not believe that Facebook is effectively managing violent and divisive speech on their platform. Despite repeated assertions by Facebook to take action, we have not seen meaningful change.”

It will halt advertising for July and cut spending by one-third for the rest of the year on Facebook and Instagram.

– Rakuten Viber, indefinitely

The messaging service said on June 25 that it is severing all ties with Facebook as a part of the growing boycott. Chief executive, Djamel Agaoua, said the move to cut ties was due to Facebook’s“poor judgment in understanding its role in today’s world”.It will remove all Facebook properties including Giphy, GIF library, Facebook Connect, and Facebook SDK.

– Magnolia Pictures, Patagonia through at least end of July

The Hollywood Studio said in a Twitterposton June 23, it has chosen to stop advertising on Instagram and Facebook through at least the end of July. The clothing brand Patagonia also announced onTwitterthat it will join the campaign.

– The North Face,REI,Upwork, Eddie Bauer through July

北脸成为了最大和第一品牌to join the campaign.

We’re in. We’re Out@Facebook#StopHateForProfit

Learn more:https://t.co/uAT7u7mjBGhttps://t.co/jVxTIH5ThQ

— The North Face (@thenorthface)June 19, 2020

According to therunning listby Sleeping giants, more than 100 advertisers have followed the suit.

Major luminaries of the ad industryhave also started reviewing their ad spend and begun to pull theirdollars.

– Unilever rival and largest advertiser in the countryProcter and Gamblehas also threatened to pull ads if platforms didn’t take ‘appropriate systematic action’ to address the hate speech.

– According to theWall Street Journal,360i, a digital-ad agencyowned by global ad holding group Dentsu Group Inc. emailed its client to join the Facebook ad boycott.

What Is Their Next Course Of Action:

Facebook is taking a more hands-on approach as ads boycott grows. It would start labeling political speech that violates the rules, take measures to prevent voter suppression, and protect minorities.

A post violating rules but is from an important political figure, it will be marked as ‘newsworthy’.Facebook said it would expand policies around hate speech and prohibit hateful language in ads on the site.

The Big Picture:

The boycott reached its tipping point with theBlack Lives Matterprotests whenFacebookrefused to moderate the post from President Trump that many believed incited hate and violence against protesters.

Next question, isthead boycott hugeto make a dent on Facebook revenue? The impact is limited. Analysts say that the boycott is for a limited period ‘July’ and then many of the advertisers plan to return their ad dollars to Facebook because of its effectiveness. Facebook’s auctioned based system can fill the ad space quickly with marketing messages from other companies.

Our Thought Bubble:

Facebook is powerful and experienced to deal with the current situation. The brand boycott is more of a PR problem than any immediate threat to its revenue.

Brands participation is noteworthy but it’s a tiny fraction of the 8 million advertisers using Facebook advertising and it would be hard to get a huge coalition to boycott the brand for an extended period.

Bottom Line:

It would be interesting to wait and watch how Facebook addresses the brand’s concerns in the coming weeks in response to the mounting political and social pressure and reverse the damage to its reputation.

Learn more:How Donald Trump’s Executive Order Has Changed the Face of Social Media

Twitter Tests New Feature to Limit Sharing of Unread Articles

• Twitter announced that it will test a new feature that will prompt to encourage users to read an article before sharing.
  

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• The new feature will only appear for U.S based Android devices for now.
  

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• As per the Twitter Support team, the platform will only check if the user has clicked the article link on Twitter and not anywhere else on the internet.
  

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• Twitter aims to empower healthy and informed public discussions with this new feature.
  

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Twitter to experiment with a new feature that prompts users to read articles before sharing, is the latest effort to curb the spread of misinformation on the platform.

Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it.

To help promote informed discussion, we're testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven't opened on Twitter, we may ask if you'd like to open it first.

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport)June 10, 2020

Twitter product lead Kayvon Beykpourcommentedupon the announcement of the feature testing,

“It’s easy for links [and] articles to go viral on Twitter. This can be powerful but sometimes dangerous, especially if people haven’t read the content they’re spreading. This feature (on Android for now) encourages people to read a linked article prior to retweeting it.”

This Is An Old Ongoing Problem

The problem of users sharing news based on headlines is not new. A 2016studyfrom computer scientists at Columbia University and Microsoft found that 59% – nearly two-thirds of links posted on Twitter by users are shared without opening the articles.

During the pandemic, the social media giant has issued many misinformation warnings to curb the spread of any fake news -that includes one against the U.S President Donald Trump. This move led toTrump issuing executive orderstargeting social media companies.

Will It Impact The Bots?

Twitter has tried many times before to spot the spread of misinformation. Like Facebook and other social media platforms, it has come scrutiny for the content it promotes.

Twitter’s solution is not banning retweets but tries to nudge the users to rethink their actions on the social network. Recently, in May it launched a feature that allowed users tolimit who can reply to their tweets.It also rolled out another feature tohide specific repliesto tweets.

However, the main problem is‘bots’.According to a paper published in AAAI, “Increasing evidence suggests that a growing amount of social media content is generated by autonomous entities known as social bots.”

For instance, recently, new research reported that roughly half of the twitter accounts that discussed ‘Reopen America’ were bots. The AAAI paper also estimated that between9%-15% of active Twitter accounts exhibit social bots behavior– nearly 49.5 million of its 330 million users. This new feature will impact the bots and might make it difficult to retweet any content.