Facebook Bans Donald Trump Indefinitely
After the terrifying events that took place at the capitol, Mark Zuckerberg took to his official account condemning the behavior and actions of Donald Trump. He acknowledged that Facebook has allowed POTUS to share content that was consistent with the rules over the years, ensuring that the public had access to the broadest scope of political speech. However, Zuckerberg had a change of heart sharing, “the current context is now fundamentally different, involving the use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.” With this statement, Facebook has decided to ban his account indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power takes place.
Facebook Redesigns Facebook Pages
Facebook begins rolling out its newly redesigned Facebook Pages Feature. The redesign includes “a new look-and-feel, updated navigation, the introduction of a dedicated News Feed, a new Q&A format for engaging fans and other tools and insights.” Facebook also got rid of the “Like” to focus more on followers. Facebook did away with likes because it wasn’t a true representation of a Page’s popularity due to users initially liking Pages but later unfollowing them. Along with Followers becoming a direct metric, Pages getting its own News Feed gives the feature the ability to join in conversations as the brand or public figure behind the Facebook Page. These updates hopefully help brands and creators have greater visibility and engagement with their followers.
New 'Events' Feature Underway at Snapchat
As we start the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Snapchat is starting to work on its new Events feature. Snapchat teased the feature in 2019 but was essentially halted due to the rise of COVID-19 cases globally. But now in 2021, Snapchat has filed for a patent to introduce its Events feature properly. The new tool allows users to create events via stickers and invite Snapchat friends. The stickers will include all relevant information like what time, where, attendees, and display an event on the Snap Map. Any photos captured during the event will be added to the event’s group chat. This new feature compliments Snapchat’s new goal of fostering more intimate friendships but also has room to grow into a way for merchants, brand ambassadors, and others to promote their businesses.