Social Media Industry Round-Up #49: What Are The DSA Regulations, Comment Shares on Stories, 10-Minute Reels & Threads Is Losing Users

Our Marketing team is back with a roundup of news & industry updates. This way, we keep our team, clients and interested marketers up to date with what's going on in the social media industry :)

The DSA (Digital Services Act) is a regulation approved by the European Parliament in 2022 that is meant to keep consumers safe online while they interact with platforms and marketplaces online.

This regulation applies to 17 very large online platforms and 2 very large search engines that reach at least 45 million monthly active users.

These companies have been forced to be more transparent about how content and products are algorithmically recommended, give users more power over how their data is being managed, and a strong protection of minors.

This means that major platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Google will have to launch features that will allow EU-based users to opt out of algorithm recommendations, giving them the possibility of having a chronological feed, seeing only posts from people they follow, and getting search results based only on the search terms.

Instagram has been testing the ability to share post comments on Stories. The comment will be featured in a new sticker type that the user will be able to place anywhere on the screen.

It’s official! Instagram has finally launched the capability to share posts with only close friends, despite having a public profile. This will allow users to choose which audience they want to share content with.

Instagram is currently testing a simplified version of the main menu.

Instagram is working on the ability to create Reels up to 10 minutes long.

After decreasing from 49 million daily active users in July to 10 million this week, the Threads team keeps working on new features to capitalise on early interest and encourage users to stay on the app.

The launch of a web version meant that engagement could increase. However, the lack of API makes it difficult for social media managers and marketers to schedule and post threads on the platform.

They’re also testing a Threads highlight element inserted in the Instagram main feed.

Instagram is currently rolling out a new feature that would allow users to share a post with everyone or their close friends' list, despite the user having a public account.

TikTok has released a guide for travel-related brands, as TikTok confirms that 96% of its users are in the market for travel experiences, and 77% of them say that the app has played a role in their most recent travel purchases.

The guide includes engagement and key travel trends, types of content that content users are consuming, inspiration, case studies and ad style tips.

YouTube has found some inspiration from TikTok and decided to launch a new feature so creators can find the right track for their Shorts. The ‘Samples’ feed will be personalised for every user, recommending songs that the person might be interested in.

In order to help creators to build communities online, YouTube is currently testing a new feature that would allow them to send questions to their viewers. Creators will be able to customise the questions, and viewers to respond via comments.

After seeing good results in the Studio (desktop) version, YouTube has decided to expand comment filters to the mobile app. This will allow creators to find relevant comments more easily, based on various parameters.