Instagram hashtags and Snapchats new look

Updates to inform your social media marketing strategy

Welcome to our weekly summary of what's happened in social media this week. This week we look at Instagrams follow hashtag feature, Snapchats new look and why Facebook opened up AR platform to all developers.

Instagram hashtags just got interesting

Instagram now allows you to follow a hashtag, the same way you would follow an account. Instagram’s algorithms will then pick and choose some of the highlights from that collection and surface them in your main feed.

Techcrunch reported that eventually, 'hashtag following could give the app more powerful ad targeting data and an opportunity to show more interstitial ads between Stories, but the company says it’s not doing either right now'.

Twitter officially launches ‘threads,’ a new feature for easily posting tweetstorms

Twitter have released 'Threads', a new way to post tweetstorms. Tweetstorms allow users to get personal, tell stories and connect facts surrounding breaking news. The ease of this new feature should encourage more tweetstroms and more descriptive content. Twitter announced:

Now, hundreds of thousands of threads are Tweeted every day! But this method of Tweeting, while effective and popular, can be tricky for some to create and it’s often tough to read or discover all the Tweets in a thread. That’s why we’re thrilled to share that we’re making it simpler to thread Tweets together, and to find threads, so it’s easier to express yourself on Twitter and stay informed.

Snapchat releases massive redesign

Snapchat have released a new and improved Snapchat interface. According to Snapchat, the updated separates the social from the media. This means that the Chats and Stories from your friends are on the left side of Snapchat, and the Stories from publishers, creators, and the community are on the right. According to Snapchat 'separating social from media has allowed us to build the best way to communicate with friends and the best way to watch great content - while addressing many of the problems that plague the Internet today'.

Facebook opens AR platform to all developers

Facebook is allowing all developers to start building AR experiences for its Facebook Camera. That includes “World Effects” — Facebook’s copy of Snapchat’s World Lenses — that augment your environment with 3D objects rather than just your selfies. Facebook announced:

One of our goals with AR Studio is to put the power of augmented reality in the hands of all creators. Over the last few months, we've expanded the AR Studio toolset for even more creators to build and share AR experiences with the Facebook community.

What do you think of Snapchats new design? Would you use Twitter's tweetstorm? Let us know what you think and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. Don't forget to join us next week for another weekly roundup.