Are 15-minute TikToks the way forward?
Nearly two years after TikTok introduced the 10-minute upload option, the app is experimenting with a 15-minute video limit. The option is currently only available to certain users after updating the app.
The gradual increase from 15-second videos, which was the limit when the app was first released, to 15-minutes demonstrates the development of TikTok and its purpose.
Whilst it is clear that TikTok hopes that longer videos will increase the amount of time spent in-app, it is less clear whether there is a demand for watching longer videos in-stream. Surveys this year have shown the decline of the attention span of TikTok users, as nearly 50% of users surveyed by TikTok relayed that videos longer than 60 seconds were ‘stressful’. With this in mind, will the 15-minute video option be negatively received?
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‘Top Choice’ job application feature set to make candidates stand out to employers on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Premium subscribers will receive the ‘Top Job’ option this week, which will enable users to mark three roles per month as a ‘Top Choice’. This feature will alert recruiters to users’ interest in the role.
This feature will make the subscriber’s profile stand out to the recruiter, as a green badge will appear on the job application. LinkedIn has stated that ‘Top Choice Jobs uniquely connects both sides of the job market: job seekers get to stand out, while hirers see deeper intent signals from applications who are most passionate’.
This new update is important for the platform, as LinkedIn has recently been focused on additions to help creators stand out on the app. Whilst this is positive for online creators, most LinkedIn users are people aiming to advance their professional careers by standing out to prospective employers. Therefore, the ‘Top Choice’ feature appeals to most users of the platform.
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New tool to be tested on Instagram to boost engagement rates
Instagram has added a new engagement option, allowing users to take part in interactive polls in comment streams of feed posts and reels. This feature has been tested over the last six months as polls have proven popular on other platforms.
The new feature will allow brands and creators to receive feedback on their content, as they can ask viewers for their opinion. The engagement option will also likely boost engagement rates, as the simplicity of the feature will make it easier to rack up interactions and provide positive signals for the algorithm.
Mark Zuckerberg has stated that the polls will be rolled out to all users soon. There is already the option to run polls in stories and DMs, so it will be interesting to see the different ways in which the feature will be used in-stream.
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Could X be losing popularity?
As Elon Musk implements more changes to X, formerly known as Twitter, it seems as though the app is losing its audience. Analysis by Apptopia, which tracks usage habits of over 100,000 mobile app users, states that X has 121 million daily active users, whilst X itself reports 253 million.
The research suggests that since Musk’s purchase of the company a year ago, the use of the app has declined by 13%, accelerated by rebranding from Twitter to X. The research also suggests that Threads has not impacted significantly on the usage of X.
Whilst the number of active daily users of X is unclear, Musk claims to have reduced the presence of bots on the app, meaning that there is still the opportunity for meaningful interaction and marketing on the app. However, Threads appears to be gaining more traction in the recent weeks, suggesting an increasing opportunity for a competitor to X.
Read more here.