Facebook Tests ‘ Reels’, Similar To Short-Form Instagram Reels Video
Facebook is running a limited test ‘Facebook Reels’ in the U.S. The new feature is the parent company‘s version of the short-form Instagram Reels video. Facebook Reel will allow Facebook users to create and share short-video content directly within their News Feed or Facebook Groups.
The social media giant is already running a similar test in India, Mexico, and Canada whereas the limited rollout in the U.S is an extension of the test. The test will enable Instagram users to cross-post their reels on Facebook.
Facebook Reels Creation Tools Similar To Instagram
Facebook users in the test group can tap the ‘Create’ button from the reels section in their News Feed and access a standard set of tools similar to those on Instagram including video capture, camera roll import, music selection, and timed text.
Audio options for Facebook Reels include Facebook Music Library, record original music, or using music from others Reels if set ‘public’. Other features comprise many augmented reality effects created by Facebook or third-party, editing tools like a timer for hands-free recording, tools to speed up or slow down a part of audio or video.
Even though ‘most’ of the Instagram reels features will be available on Facebook reels, the Remix feature will be added later. Also, the user interface of Facebook Reels will evolve depending on the feedback to differentiate from Instagram Reels.
Facebook Reels Can Be Shared To All
After the creation of Facebook Reels, users can share it with Friends, specific audiences, or the public. It can also be shared with the members of Facebook Groups who share similar interests.
Credit: Tech Crunch
Users can check their past creations under the ‘My Reels’ option and can browse Reels created by others in the News Feed, Search, or Groups. Shared Facebook or Instagram Reels will be recommended to users based on popularity, interest, and engagement.
Why did Facebook Replicate Reels?
As a justification to the test, the company explained, “nearly half of time spent on the app is watching videos.” On Facebook’s earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that “Reels is growing quickly across all forms of videos and is the largest contributor to engagement growth on Instagram.”
It would be interesting to see whether people will dedicate the same time and effort to create content ‘Reels’ specially for Facebook.
Also Read: Facebook Plans a Privacy-Focused Approach to Rebuilt Its Ad System
Twitter Enters into eCommerce, Tests ‘Shop Module’ Feature For iOs Users
Twitter enters a robust social media eCommerce market and unveiled the pilot of the Shop Module in the U.S. It allows the user to directly shop the products from a business profile without leaving the Twitter app.
Twitter explained in its blog post,
“The Shop Module is a dedicated space at the top of a profile where businesses can showcase their products. When people visit a profile with the Shop Module enabled, they can scroll through the carousel of products and tap through on a single product to learn more and purchase – seamlessly in an in-app browser, without having to leave Twitter.”
US Twitter users can scroll through the carousel of products on their Apple devices. They can tap through a single product and learn more about it and decide whether to buy or not. The company further added,
“With this pilot, we’ll get to explore how our engaged, responsive and chatty audience reacts to products that are emotionally charged — like a new jersey from your favorite sports team — or that provide lasting impact — like a new skincare regimen. And, fundamentally, it’ll give us the chance to keep learning about which shopping experiences people prefer on Twitter.”
It is not surprising that Twitter is also jumping the bandwagon with Facebook Marketplace, TikTok, Whatsapp, and Instagram being big competitors. As quoted by Business Insider, Twitter’s Revenue Product Lead Bruce Falck said,
“We know people come to Twitter to interact with brands and discuss their favorite products. Imagine easily discovering, and quickly purchasing a new skincare product or trendy sneaker from a brand you follow with only a few clicks.”
Even though Twitter said that they are in early explorations but significant opportunities lie ahead. With Shop Module, the social media giant intends to capitalize on the booming social commerce market that grew rapidly during the coronavirus pandemic. Twitter is initially testing with a handful of brands before making any decision of a broader rollout. Stay Tuned, we will keep you updated on the progress.
GameStop, Arden, and Cove are from the handful of brands participating in the pilot project I Credit: TheVerve
Twitter Tests New Feature to Limit Sharing of Unread Articles
- Twitter announced that it will test a new feature that will prompt to encourage users to read an article before sharing.
- The new feature will only appear for U.S based Android devices for now.
- As per the Twitter Support team, the platform will only check if the user has clicked the article link on Twitter and not anywhere else on the internet.
- Twitter aims to empower healthy and informed public discussions with this new feature.
Twitter to experiment with a new feature that prompts users to read articles before sharing, is the latest effort to curb the spread of misinformation on the platform.
Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it.
To help promote informed discussion, we're testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven't opened on Twitter, we may ask if you'd like to open it first.
— Support (@Support) June 10, 2020
Twitter product lead Kayvon Beykpour commented upon the announcement of the feature testing,
“It’s easy for links articles to go viral on Twitter. This can be powerful but sometimes dangerous, especially if people haven’t read the content they’re spreading. This feature (on Android for now) encourages people to read a linked article prior to retweeting it.”
This Is An Old Ongoing Problem
The problem of users sharing news based on headlines is not new. A 2016 study from computer scientists at Columbia University and Microsoft found that 59% – nearly two-thirds of links posted on Twitter by users are shared without opening the articles.
During the pandemic, the social media giant has issued many misinformation warnings to curb the spread of any fake news -that includes one against the U.S President Donald Trump. This move led to Trump issuing executive orders targeting social media companies.
Will It Impact The Bots?
Twitter has tried many times before to spot the spread of misinformation. Like Facebook and other social media platforms, it has come scrutiny for the content it promotes.
Twitter’s solution is not banning retweets but tries to nudge the users to rethink their actions on the social network. Recently, in May it launched a feature that allowed users to limit who can reply to their tweets. It also rolled out another feature to hide specific replies to tweets.
However, the main problem is ‘bots’. According to a paper published in AAAI, “Increasing evidence suggests that a growing amount of social media content is generated by autonomous entities known as social bots.”
For instance, recently, new research reported that roughly half of the twitter accounts that discussed ‘Reopen America’ were bots. The AAAI paper also estimated that between 9%-15% of active Twitter accounts exhibit social bots behavior – nearly 49.5 million of its 330 million users. This new feature will impact the bots and might make it difficult to retweet any content.
