Social Media: What’s New this New Year

What to Expect from Social Media in 2021

Social media is an everchanging industry brimming with innovation and opportunities. Social Media in 2021 is no different. If you are looking to grow your business or social prowess it is important to stay updated on recent trends and features on social media. Social media platforms have to constantly stay innovative or else their platforms could become obsolete. Take Myspace and Tumblr for example. These social platforms were not listening to users or innovating the way their platforms operate. On the other hand, Instagram and Facebook continuously make changes to their strategies and design to keep users actively participating on their platforms.

Farewell, Facebook Like Button
On January 6th, 2021 Facebook announced that they will be removing the Facebook like button from Facebook pages. This comes as no surprise considering Facebook has been making noticeable changes to its various platforms in recent years. Facebook is attempting to more accurately gage popularity by using the follow button rather than the like button. The follow button is believed to be a far better indicator of a page’s popularity than the like button. This is because people would like a page and decline to receive updates on the page indicating that the page had a higher reach than it actually possessed. Besides the like button, Facebook is altering the overall appearance and design of pages. Pages will now have a more simplified user interface. These changes will help all users to easily navigate Facebook pages. Followers will be able to navigate pages better, and page owners will be able to operate the page easier from behind the scenes.

Hello News Feed
Another new feature Facebook is implementing is the News Feed for Facebook pages. The News Feed can be used by pages to engage with groups, other pages, and fans. This change will likely lead to more genuine discussions and interactions between users. Pages will also be able to host Q&A’s with followers, which is another great way for pages to increase their interactions on the platform.

Looking Back on Instagram Likes
Last year, Instagram sent shock waves around the world when they announced they were testing out the removal of viewable likes on users’ accounts. This of course received a lot of negative feedback. Instagram believed that by removing the like feature, users would feel less pressure to get a certain amount of likes on their photos. This is a valid point when considering the amount of pressure young people feel regarding their relevance across social media platforms. This change appears too just be temporary. Instagram has not given any updates or indications that they are moving forward with this initiative.

Suggested Posts
Instagram is an ever-evolving social platform. They roll back certain features, to make way for new ones. One of the most recent changes is their new suggested posts feature. This feature is designed to keep users engaged on the platform when they have run out of new posts to scroll through. Suggested posts uses algorithms that gage what users are interested in. This feature cannot be turned off to the disdain of more skeptical Instagram users.

Suggested Unfollow
Another interesting new feature on Instagram is the suggested unfollow section. This section can be found in your following tab. This feature showcases which users you interact with the most and the least. If you notice you are following too many users, you can use the feature to remove people that you do not interact with regularly.

IGTV Accessibility
Most social media changes have to be implemented slowly before they are accepted by social media users. People use social media everyday so when platforms are altered it’s strikingly obvious to people engaging on these platforms. IGTV is a great example of how to slowly warm users up to a new feature. IGTV slowly gained traction, and Instagram wanted to capitalize on its recent success. IGTV posts are now as accessible as regular Instagram posts. IGTV posts can be viewed on users’ profile feed and news feed rather than in a separate section.

That’s a Wrap
Innovation and modification are important factors to the success of a social media platform. Social media platforms are ever-changing, so it is vital to stay updated and use new features to your advantage. Having an active and strategic social media presence can give your brand a competitive advantage. Many companies are on social media in 2021, but they are not using it as a tool to benefit their growth strategies. Don’t fall behind, instead use social media as a tool to increase brand awareness, start conversations, and gain fans.