Social Media News Round-Up: YouTube tests Shorts, Snapchat updates, and more

Social media platforms are constantly evolving and updating with newer features to increase relevance and stickiness for users, brands, and businesses. Here is our weekly roundup of Social Media News this week.

Social Samosa brings you all the latest Social media news, platform updates and trends dominating the digital ecosystem.

Social media news this week was dominated by:

Snapchat India launches new features to support social distancing

To fight misinformation and help people stay in contact despite social distancing, Snapchat India has introduced new features on the app. Read more here.

YouTube tests Shorts, a feature resembling TikTok

YouTube aims to take on TikTok through Shorts, a feature that will allow users to create short videos based on audio available from Google’s vast content library. Read more here.

Facebook rolls out features for posting videos

Facebook has introduced new features and updates to publish, organize, and drive discovery around videos posted from Pages. Read more here.

Twitter withdraws Q1 guidance due to COVID-19 impact

The advertising revenue on Twitter is ‘significantly’ affected in the last few weeks as per Ned Segal. The company will provide an update on its Q1 2020 earnings call on April 30 at 5 am Pacific Time. Read more here.

Snapchat Updates: App Stories, COVID-19 News Tab and more

The latest Snapchat updates include Snap offering Stories to other apps, and new features launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

How Twitter fights misinformation around COVID-19

Twitter is working with Indian health organizations and government authorities to put forth credible information on COVID-19. Read more here.

Instagram tests Gift Cards & Donation feature for business accounts

Instagram is working on setting up ‘Links’ from Stories Stickers and Profile to sell gift cards and ask for donations, for business accounts. Read more here.

Users find solace in Houseparty while social distancing

Houseparty is a 2016 social app that has made a comeback amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, facilitating virtual happy hour interactions. Read more here.

Facebook makes Live more accessible with new updates

Facebook is adding automatic closed captions to Live videos, option to listen in audio-only mode or by dial-in among other updates. Read more here.

Video Call tool Zoom at risk with several privacy issues

Issues such as video conferences being hijacked and people’s LinkedIn data being shared without their permission have emerged, risking the privacy of Zoom users. Read more here.