For the September 2023 recap of digital marketing and social media news, we’re looking at the recent updates of multiple social platforms, and how they’re considering user experience (UX) when it comes to their algorithms and features.
Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly, featuring Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter/X, and Meta.
The Good: Gen Z Considerations with Pinterest, Google, and TikTok
Pinterest had its 2023 Investor Day, announcing its future development guidelines. The main takeaway: Pinterest will be using AI, not third-party data or cookies, to customize its feed for users. Their focus is to be a bigger platform for retail advertisers.
In a shocking twist to the heavily-Millennial platform, Gen Z users are now the fastest-growing and most engaged audience on Pinterest. This is a reminder to marketers that the Gen Z demographic has entered the workforce, meaning they have money to spend and will be an increasingly significant part of buying segments.
Speaking of Gen Z, TikTok, the short-form video platform, is testing a Google search integration on its app. From early reports, it looks like users will have access to Google results within the TikTok search feature. This could potentially solidify TikTok as a platform for content and marketing in the same way Google solidified YouTube. The integration seems to be a promising step towards enhancing UX and expanding marketing opportunities.
The Bad: Twitter’s Counter-Intuition
While Pinterest and TikTok are making strides in enhancing user experiences, Twitter/X seems to be struggling. After Musk’s fumbled takeover, the company lost more than 55% of its ad revenue and is hoping to break even this year.
Twitter/X changed the method of re-tweeting, which had so much backlash due to counter-intuitive UX that it was changed back.
Musk’s biggest UX fail for Twitter/X (though not the biggest fail), was allowing users to purchase verifications or the “blue check,” causing mass impersonations and troll accounts for only $8/month. In a confusing attempt to make the verification process more exclusive, it only became more accessible.
The Ugly: Missteps by Meta
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, continues to provide useless futuristic technology, which seems to be more of Mark Zuckerberg’s detachment from reality. The latest feature will use AI in a way that most users never asked for and offers little utility– AI-powered chatbots with a range of “personas.”
Chatbots could come with distinct personalities, including one that offers travel recommendations “in the style of a surfer” and another that speaks like Abraham Lincoln.
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This is following the once-hopeful launch of Threads, an app that is Meta’s attempt at the Twitter model. By doing a slow rollout of features (at this point, it seems accidental instead of planned), Threads lost 80% of its users in the first month.
If you missed the hype, Threads was the fastest app to reach 100 million followers and gained 30 million on its first day, but it didn’t roll out key UX features that are integral to its usability. The ability to search didn’t roll out until after two months, and 4 months in, there’s still no hashtag function.
Note: We’re not calling for the end of Threads quite yet– Twitter/X is still self-imploding.
Lastly
There is a lot to learn from these successes and failures. With the overwhelming amount of new tools and features launching every day, we, at strategysmith marketing, are forever learning the highest quality and most efficient ways to help our clients.
Need an example? This blog’s first draft was written by Canva’s new AI writing tool after prompting it with this Instagram post. Talk about a UX win.
Want more? 5 Ways to Amplify Your Digital Presence