Facebook adds Shops to WhatsApp It’s becoming even easier to spend whilst you scroll as Shops is coming to WhatsApp, helping brands to reach even more people. This feature has been added alongside Shops Ads and Instagram Visual Search. Shops Ads aims to provide a more individualised shopping experience based on a person’s shopping habits. And if you’re trying to find that designer jacket for a fraction of the price, an AI-based Visual Search feature can help you find a cute copy. Shops on WhatsApp is now available, but you’ll have to wait a little longer before you can start using Visual Search.
Snapchat strikes deal with Universal Music Group More music is coming to Snapchat. The platform has struck a multiyear deal with Universal Music Group to bring major artists to the app. Snapchatters can now search for music from artists like Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and The Bee Gees, and include them in their content. This move is sure to increase the popularity of the platform’s Spotlight feature when it comes to competing against rivals like TikTok, which is known for its vast music catalogue.
Twitter unveils Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces Twitter is helping its users turn their content into cash by opening applications for Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces. Super Follows allows users to generate monthly revenue by offering paywalled content to their followers, who can subscribe to them from £2.99 a month. Ticketed Spaces are an exciting addition to the platform’s Clubhouse competitor, with creators able to set ticket prices from £1 to £999. You can also limit how many tickets are sold, allowing creators to host more exclusive events, perhaps incentivising people to invest in £999 ticket!? This is a bold move from Twitter, offering a feature not currently available on other competing platforms.
Snapchat marks Pride month with custom flags When it comes to marking events, we all know Snapchat go hard on the filters, lenses and stickers. For Pride however, the platform is embracing reality, by teaming up with Pride Basics to allow users to order custom Pride flags for $15 each. $2 from each sale is going to InterPride to help support equity efforts worldwide. The new versions of the Pride flags feature blended gradients, with users able to customise their flag by adding stickers and illustrations.
TikTok brings Pride month to a close with global event As June nears its end, we say goodbye to another Pride month. TikTok said farewell with a live global event, TikTok Pride Finale, featuring 12 hours of content, including makeup tutorials, musician performances and Q&A sessions. Singer Kesha performed three of her hits, as did Tinashe, a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. The platform also unveiled that the #lgbt hashtag had over 120 billion views. With TikTok championing self expression, the Pride Finale was a fantastic way to celebrate LGBTQ+ creators on the platform.
YouTube launches Olympics originals With just weeks until the Olympic games kick off in Tokyo, YouTube has launched four originals. The nonfiction films feature American gymnast Gabby Douglas and the Try Guys, a comedy foursome. There is ‘Strive’, a six-part docuseries hosted by Gabby Douglas, ‘How To Olympics,’ an eight-episode series that gives viewers an insight into select Olympic events, ‘World Debut,’ a feature-length film that tracks the Olympic journey and ‘Break the Record,’ a UK series in which kids interrogate some of the most extraordinary Guinness World Records title holders. Hoping to get in on the sporting action, the originals are bound to bring the hype in the build up to the games.
Ones to watch Instagram is testing the ability to post from desktop.
