Social media is a mess.
As 2020 continues to deliver curveballs to humanity, it’s become quite clear that change needs to happen and happen fast. The platforms we rely on to connect with others and conduct our businesses are failing users. Whether it’s due to hateful content, misinformation or privacy violations, regulation is becoming increasingly critical to right social media wrongs.
The latest breach of users’ trust made headlines this week when it was revealed nearly 235 million TikTok, Instagram and YouTube profiles were exposed in a leak from social media data firm Comparitech. The alarming leak won’t be the last worrying social media incident. In the presidential election, social media policy hasn’t been a big talking point, but it should be.
As global citizens, it’s crucial for us in the indie beauty community to keep up on the good and bad of social media, and to think about how we and our businesses participate in both. To help you stay attuned to the latest, here are five developments from this week touching upon everything from activism to advertising.
1. Brand Activism
Brands shouldn’t sit on the sidelines. Unconvinced that taking positions pays off? In a survey of 1,000 American consumers, Sprout Social found that nearly 60% of them will buy from brands that express their values on social media. To learn more, download a factsheet from the social media management software firm that provides survey results illustrating what consumers want today and indicate activist strategies brands should pursue.
Dive into new data to learn…
⏰ Why people are using social media more these days
📲 Where consumers turn to understand brands’ stances on social issues
💰 How a brand’s values influence purchasing decisions
➖ Which behavior makes people unfollow brandshttps://t.co/vR8zdJoarl— Sprout Social (@SproutSocial) August 17, 2020
2. Cybersecurity
On Tuesday, Hootsuite will be on LinkedIn Live to delve into why cybersecurity matters to marketers. The social media management platform is set to take a deep dive into changes in the cybersecurity space and tactics to ensure your social media channels are safe. Register here.
Tune in for a #LinkedInLive with Hootsuite’s Team Lead of Security & Technical Recruiter as they dive into:
📈 Cyber security trends
🔐 Importance of cyber security
🌐 Keeping your social channels safe
💻 Joining Hootsuite's Security teamSave the date: https://t.co/lkO6RrkPdb pic.twitter.com/nvRQQIjHAr
— Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite) August 19, 2020
3. Advertising
If you’re new to paid social, 2020 is an interesting time to get started. The pandemic has people using social media more all over the world, but advertising spend isn’t surging apace. As a result, ad prices are trending lower. Hootsuite shares why, and explores how businesses should weigh their organic versus paid approaches. Check out its insights in a blog post here.
Whether you're into high-wire tightrope or working on a paid vs organic social media strategy. You'll learn pretty quickly that balance is key. https://t.co/MOIFVwBL2M
— Hootsuite (@hootsuite) August 19, 2020
4. Social Media Speech
The growing popularity of audiobooks, podcasts and voice control apps are pointing to an audio future. Twitter has stepped toward audio by enabling users to send 140-second audio tweets, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has reportedly been testing out one of Silicon Valley’s hottest new startups Clubhouse, which features audio chatrooms. On the emergence of voice in social media, Entrepreneur contributor Peter Harengel writes, “Imagine an online chat room where people actually chat. No quickfire Twitter insults, no long and pointless Facebook arguments, just a bunch of people, anonymous or not, discussing, debating, and sharing information.” Read more here.
Is Audio the Future of Social Media? Twitter's Jack Dorsey Thinks So. | by @harengel https://t.co/uYvnhx8R6A
— Entrepreneur (@Entrepreneur) August 20, 2020
5. QR Codes
QR codes are finally gaining momentum in the United States and, this week, Instagram replaced its internal scanning Nametag Codes with QR codes that can be accessed with iOS or Android camera tools. In Forbes, senior multichannel retail leader Andrea Wasserman shares six ways retailers and restaurants can leverage Instagram’s new QR offering, including for detailed merchandise information, during the pandemic and beyond. Click here to read more.
Now you can use QR codes to easily get in touch with friends or businesses on Instagram. Scan a business’s QR code and you can see store hours, buy items and more.
To find your QR code, go to your Instagram profile → tap the menu in the upper right → tap "QR code." pic.twitter.com/4PgGQFlfmJ
— Instagram (@instagram) August 20, 2020
This article originally appeared on Beauty Independent.