What’s MGHappening in Social Media: September 10, 2018

The Verge – A new Pew Research study, which surveyed U.S. adults 18 years of age and older, has found that 42 percent of those surveyed have taken a break from Facebook for “several weeks or more.” The survey also found that a quarter of respondents have deleted the Facebook app from their phones entirely. When broken down generationally, 44 percent of 18 to 29 year old’s have deleted the mobile app, while only 20 percent of people aged 50-64 and 12 percent of people 65 years of age or older have followed suit. (Full Story)

AdWeek – While Facebook has been removing various targeting options for advertisers as of late, airlines have just gained access to an expanded targeting item. In terms of tracking-related advertising, airlines and other businesses had only been able to target people that have been to their respective websites or mobile apps. Now, airlines will be able to target people who appear interested in travel, as determined by if they have visited the sites or apps of other airlines. The addition is specific to Facebook’s dynamic ads for travel, which may have been an interest category prior to this development. (Full Story)

WERSM – Facebook has renamed its Canvas ad format to be called “Instant Experiences.” More than just a name change, Instant Experiences, which loads 15 times faster than standard mobile websites, has also gained some new features and abilities. Facebook has added Instant Forms, which makes it easier for consumers to contact a business along with a change that will automatically include a brand’s Facebook pixel in these campaigns. (Full Story)

The Verge – Instagram has added a new recommended emoji bar that will appear above a user’s keyboard when they go to comment on a post. While the update is fairly simple, it should cut down on the amount of time it takes for a user to include their favorite emojis in comments. The bar will not show up in other areas of Instagram, such as in Story replies or Direct messages. (Full Story)

The Verge – Instagram is reportedly working on a stand-alone shopping app that is expected to be called IG Shopping. Development is still on-going with no confirmed release, but if the app does come to fruition as expected, it could mean a major expansion into e-commerce for Instagram. There are currently more than 25 million businesses on Instagram, 2 million of which are advertisers. With browsing for merchandise already a significant part of Instagram, increased business tools in a stand-alone app seems like a logical next step for the social network. (Full Story)

Mashable – Instagram is providing a few updates to the Superzoom feature that currently lives within Stories. The basic premise of Superzoom remains the same, but there will now be different versions for users to select from that adds another layer of editing (by way of a filter and/or sound effects). The features are not live for all users yet, but Instagram confirmed that they will be at some point in the future. (Full Story)

Engadget – Periscope and its parent company Twitter are both introducing live, audio-only broadcasts for occasions when users don’t want to (or can’t) utilize their camera. The addition adds some new possibilities for live content on both platforms, such as streaming a podcast or radio show. Just like with live video broadcast, the audience steams will also track audience stats. (Full Story)

Business Insider – Twitter is testing a redesign of its desktop website, which adds night mode, data-saving mode, bookmarks and other new features. The redesign, which is currently part of a limited, optional rollout, will be the first major redesign in quite some time. It brings some popular mobile features to the desktop experience, while also cleaning up the overall looks and making Twitter seem crisper and slightly easier to navigate. (Full Story)