There’s a lot of news this week, and it’s all taking place across many social media platforms. Amid complaints and questions from users, Instagram will be assessing whether Black users are being limited in their posts’ reach. Learn more about this important initiative, a new feature on YouTube, and more in this week’s Friday Four!
Let’s jump in ⬇️.
Instagram Plans to Evaluate Black Users’ Reach
Instagram announced in a blog post Tuesday that they are planning to assess whether Black users of the platform are limited in their reach. The company will re-evaluate the ways they verify accounts, approach harassment, and take a look at potential biases in the algorithm.
This step comes after worldwide outrage over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other Black Americans at the hands of police. Social media has been heavily utilized in the days and weeks following these deaths, and some Instagram users have expressed concerns about the platform suppressing certain voices.
Facebook Introducing WhatsApp Digital Payment Capabilities
This week, Facebook rolled out digital payment services via WhatsApp in Brazil. The introduction of this service follows a January announcement from Mark Zuckerberg, where he said the capabilities were going to be offered in Indonesia, Mexico, and India.
The new service on WhatsApp comes as part of Facebook’s larger initiative to expand Facebook Pay. According to a blog from WhatsApp itself, it was noted that Facebook would like users to be able to link their Facebook Pay accounts to a variety of apps in the Facebook family.
While certain places, such as India, have seen delays in the unveiling of this new tool, its introduction in Brazil is a huge win for Facebook. With over 100 million WhatsApp users in Brazil, the payment service now has a large audience of potential users.
Youtube Cracks Down on Inorganic Viewing, Introduces Donate Button
As social media has exploded with an abundance of activism in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, more and more people are turning to YouTube in an effort to raise money for the cause. Whether it be through engaging with ads on certain videos, or creators simply stating they will donate all ad revenue to an organization, YouTube is starting to take action.
While YouTube has made clear that creators are free to do whatever they please with their own revenue, the platform will be removing videos that attempt to artificially increase watch time or ad engagement. The removal of many videos comes alongside a new feature: the donate button.
In addition to YouTube making a $100 million dollar donation to support Black Lives Matter, they’re asking creators to instead include a new donate button on their videos and encourage their audiences to contribute to a nonprofit of the creator’s choice. Over 40,000 channels now have access to this new feature.
Facebook Testing Messenger and Instagram DM Integration
Last week, certain users noticed the option to integrate their Facebook Messenger conversations with their Instagram direct messages. Instagram confirmed the test, which is still in its early stages of design and evaluation.
The feature, if it comes to fruition, would allow users to see their Facebook messages on the Instagram app through the direct message tab. This follows Facebook’s updates to the Messenger app, where users can now switch between personal and business profiles quickly.
The new test could be part of a greater attempt to create a cohesive string of messages across apps. However, as of now, there are no announcements about whether Facebook plans to fully finalize and roll out this feature.
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