{"id":116394,"date":"2018-08-24T17:50:47","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T16:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/?p=116394"},"modified":"2026-04-13T15:38:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:38:53","slug":"socialrecap-16-alex-jones-twitter-block-list-facebook-live-social-media-news-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/socialrecap-16-alex-jones-twitter-block-list-facebook-live-social-media-news-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"#SocialRecap 16: How Alex Jones Inspired a Viral Twitter Block List, New Facebook Live Updates and MORE Social Media News!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In the last <strong>#SocialRecap<\/strong>, we looked at rising trends in voice tech, including: the addition of voice messaging on LinkedIn, the ability to schedule routines in Google Home, and the integration of voice search + voice control in BMW\u2019s latest collaboration with Alexa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This time, we\u2019re taking a quick peek at the development of voice <em>shopping<\/em> &#8211; before running down the top social media news of the week, which includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A certain \u2018block list\u2019 gone viral (thanks to a technical loophole on Twitter).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How Google has been found to continue tracking your location history &#8211; even after you&#8217;ve turned it off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And several key feature updates coming soon to popular tools and platforms (like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify), which means connected apps will need to make some updates and your trusty digital strategies may also need a nip and tuck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Turn up the volume and hear about recent social media news in <strong>#SocialRecap 16<\/strong> on YouTube:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Google is tracking you, even if your Location History is turned off! | #SocialRecap ep. 16\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ObDTU94YZSU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>OR, scroll down to read up on the latest social media updates instead. Now, let\u2019s start with voice shopping!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Voice shopping sales predicted to reach $40 billion by 2022 &#8211; from $2 billion in 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Voice shopping is said to have been on the rise for the past 2 years, since Amazon came out with Alexa in 2016. However, recent research indicates that most of these voice-activated smart speakers are actually being used to create shopping lists instead of making actual purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A report from news site <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theinformation.com\/articles\/the-reality-behind-voice-shopping-hype\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">The Information<\/a> showed that just 2% of devices with access to Alexa have been used to make purchases, and from that 2%, only 10% have made repeat purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts have predicted voice search sales to reach $40 billion by 2022, but that\u2019s a pretty big leap considering it\u2019s almost the end of 2018 and sales have reached a meager <em>(comparatively speaking)<\/em> $2 billion so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f10315db6bf&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f10315db6bf\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-A-min.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-A-min.jpg 600w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-A-min-300x186.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Predictions may be influenced by the growing number of companies investing in voice shopping, such as Google and Samsung &#8211; also counting on the further development of voice shopping technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/smart-speaker-voice-shopping\" rel=\"nofollow\">survey conducted by HubSpot<\/a> on 500 Internet users across the US &amp; UK saw that nearly half of these users have never made a purchase via voice shopping, and about 20% don\u2019t even own a voice shopping device.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In a similar survey, when participants were asked what they used their smart speakers for, half of them didn\u2019t use smart speakers at all, while 12% said they used it to check the weather.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And in a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.edisonresearch.com\/the-smart-audio-report-from-npr-and-edison-research-spring-2018\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">smart audio report by NPR and Edison<\/a>, the overall top 3 uses for smart speakers were: to control household devices, add items to a shopping list, and add activities to a to-do list.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Voice technology is definitely a growing trend as we\u2019ve seen from BMW, Alexa, Google, and even LinkedIn, but for now, it\u2019s more rooted in voice <em>search<\/em> or voice-activated <em>commands<\/em> instead of voice shopping for direct purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Block list tool goes viral after Twitter loophole lets Infowars&#8217; Alex Jones continue to tweet from suspended account<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Chances are, even if you\u2019re not a fan, you\u2019ve probably heard of InfoWars and its colorful host Alex Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f10315dc04c&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f10315dc04c\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-116460 size-b24_post_content_size wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-Alex-Jones-min-750x422.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116460\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-Alex-Jones-min-750x422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-Alex-Jones-min-1140x641.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-Alex-Jones-min-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-Alex-Jones-min.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, the host and conspiracy theorist (who was also behind PizzaGate, as well as widely propagated claims that the Sandy Hook tragedy was fake news supported by crisis actors) has recently stirred up quite a commotion on Twitter, even causing a &#8216;block list&#8217; with his name on it to go viral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After getting banned from platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and more &#8211; due to angry public backlash from his highly controversial discussions &#8211; Twitter eventually followed suit and hit the Infowars host with a lenient 1-week suspension. However, during this suspension period, users were still seeing Tweets from Jones\u2019 account. Evidently, tweets that have been scheduled in advance <em>(prior to a suspension)<\/em> will still be published <em>during<\/em> the suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeing this loophole in action prompted Shannon Coulter, co-founder of Grab Your Wallet, to create a block list that could be installed to block tweets from Alex Jones, as well as tweets containing advertisements from a number of Fortune 500 companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Good morning! To encourage Twitter to drop Alex Jones, I just blocked the Twitter accounts of every Fortune 500 company w\/ a Twitter presence. Ready to mass block Twitter&#39;s most lucrative advertisers with me? There are three quick &amp; easy ways. Instructions are in this thread.<\/p>&mdash; Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/shannoncoulter\/status\/1028632688586936320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 12, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The block list tool has gone viral, having already been downloaded by more than <em>50,000 Twitter users<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. 95% of fake news shared on social media by Russian &#8216;Internet Research Agency&#8217; found to originate from US-based news site Truthfeed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another huge concern for Twitter is online DISinformation, having suspended over 58 Million Twitter accounts by the end of 2017. Most of these accounts were connected to the Internet Research Agency, a Russian propaganda agency in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2016, the Internet Research Agency cooked up and served a hungry public staggering amounts of disinformation during the presidential campaigns. In 2017 (which saw the indictment of the propaganda agency plus 13 individuals for interfering with the presidential elections), content from TruthFeed already accounted for 95% of the Internet Research Agency\u2019s Twitter activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>TruthFeed is a US-based news site that specializes in hyper-partisan, clickbait articles, such as the factually INcorrect \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/truthfeed.com\/wtf-refugees-with-tb-are-interviewing-at-starbucks\/100444\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Refugees with Tuberculosis are Interviewing at Starbucks<\/a>\u201d or <em>&#8220;<\/em><em>The Liberal Left has Lost Their Minds and are now Killing Their Neighbors for Supporting Trump&#8221;<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f10315dca5c&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f10315dca5c\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-116514 size-b24_post_content_size wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"390\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/social-recap-16-starbucks-min-750x390.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/social-recap-16-starbucks-min-750x390.jpg 750w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/social-recap-16-starbucks-min-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/social-recap-16-starbucks-min.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(via Truthfeed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Deeper investigations have revealed that most of the fake news getting retweeted by fake accounts from the Russian Internet Research Agency, had actually been fabricated domestically by TruthFeed, at least by the time 2017 rolled around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Twitter API undergoes significant changes &#8211; social media apps like Tweetbot losing key features<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>And in an effort to enhance security, Twitter has recently made a series of changes to its API. Changes include a delay in push notifications for mentions &amp; direct messages, disabled timeline streaming via Wi-Fi, as well as disabled push notifications for <em>likes<\/em>, <em>retweets<\/em>, <em>follows<\/em> and <em>quotes<\/em>. Unfortunately, while necessary for security, these changes have caused apps like Tweetbot, widely used among iOS fans, to lose some key features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f10315dd402&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f10315dd402\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"246\" height=\"246\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-Tweetbot-min.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-Tweetbot-min.jpg 246w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-Tweetbot-min-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, a few noteworthy updates from Facebook:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Facebook Birthday Fundraising tool has raised $300 Million in just ONE year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Facebook \u201cBirthday Fundraisers\u201d have only been around for a year, but benevolent Facebook users have already raised over $300 Million Dollars! Organizations like St. Jude\u2019s Hospital, the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, the American Cancer Society, and the ASPCA are among some of the top beneficiaries from Facebook fundraising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all of Facebook\u2019s features have been so well-received, as we can see with the complete removal of Facebook Trends, but Facebook fundraising is here to stay. Seeing its success, Facebook has developed fundraising features like the ability to match donations, make recurring donations, add organizers to a Facebook fundraising event, and they\u2019ve also waived associated fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f10315ddcbf&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f10315ddcbf\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"497\" height=\"510\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-birthday-fundraiser-min.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116571\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-birthday-fundraiser-min.jpg 497w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-birthday-fundraiser-min-300x308.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. VidPresso staff &amp; tech acquired by social media platform Facebook &#8211; are interactive tools coming to Facebook Live?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>New interactive tools for Facebook Live may also be in the near future for Facebook. Having just partnered up with VidPresso after acquiring its staff and technology, it looks like Facebook users might be getting access to some new interactive features on Facebook Live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>VidPresso is known for creating tech that lets users add comments, polls, and other interactive content to Live videos, which is the ideal complement to Facebook\u2019s push for Live engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Vidpresso is joining Facebook to help creators build great interactive experiences on Facebook Live. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hpnKSGzH65\">https:\/\/t.co\/hpnKSGzH65<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Vidpresso (@vidpresso) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/vidpresso\/status\/1029221028545757184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 14, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Facebook isn&#8217;t giving up on news &#8211; it&#8217;s currently testing a new &#8216;breaking news&#8217; feature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another side of \u2018live\u2019 is, of course, live news. Facebook isn\u2019t really your typical source of \u2018live\u2019 or \u2018breaking news\u2019 &#8211; this is much more Twitter\u2019s speed, but they&#8217;re trying to change this with the new \u2018breaking news\u2019 tag. This is a tag that lets users follow updates on certain news stories in Facebook, with the option to view updates for each story in chronological order. It\u2019s currently being tested in the US, Australia, Canada, Great Britain and India with a small handful of publishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Instagram gets personal &#8211; poll stickers now available in direct messages too (FYEO)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>And Instagram is starting to get personal! The Instagram poll sticker has been available in Instagram Stories since October, but now &#8211; you can create a more private poll and send it to select individuals or groups through Direct Messages. This allows Instagram users to interact on a more personal level with relevant audiences instead of polling the general public about topics that they might not understand or have access to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f10315de60a&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f10315de60a\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"480\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SR16-Instagram-Poll-min-1.jpg\" alt=\"screenshot of Instagram poll sticker pasted on top of an image of Brand24's social media monitoring data\" class=\"wp-image-116700\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to make a poll on Instagram &#8211; and share it via Instagram Direct Messages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Select the person \/ people that you want to poll.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take a picture or select an image that you want to use (remember: &#8220;polls&#8221; function like stickers, so you have to have something to stick it on).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tap on the &#8216;sticker&#8217; icon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select the &#8216;poll&#8217; sticker. Enter your question. Position the sticker where you want it to appear on the image.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tap on &#8216;send&#8217; and have your personally selected audience partake in your Instagram poll!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Spotify may allow ALL users to skip video and audio ads soon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some fairly common inquiries regarding Spotify are:&nbsp;<em>how to block ads on Spotify&nbsp;<\/em>or&nbsp;<em>how to get rid of ads on Spotify<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, it&#8217;s not a total surprise that Spotify is potentially working on a new feature update&#8230; about skipping ads. The popular music streaming service may soon be making its users very happy by giving them &#8211; ALL of them &#8211; the option to skip all video and audio ads with a new \u2018Active Media\u2019 feature. Advertisers would only have to pay for ads that have not been skipped, and this would be available to both users with paid accounts and free accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although it might seem like an unusual move to make this available to free accounts, it\u2019s also the perfect opportunity for Spotify to gather data and significantly improve both user and advertiser experiences. They\u2019ll be able to find out what their listeners prefer, and use this data to help their advertisers increase ad consumption by delivering more personalized advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Google has a <em>dark<\/em> side &#8211; and it continues to log your location history even after you tell it to stop!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>And a closer look at how Google seems to always know where you are, reveals a bit of a dark side. Google has been found to continue recording your \u201clocation history\u201d &#8211; even after you tell it to stop. Apparently, when you <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/accounts\/answer\/3118687?visit_id=636704492491765324-2715547890&amp;p=location_history&amp;hl=en&amp;rd=1\" rel=\"nofollow\">turn off your location history<\/a>, certain services from Google will continue logging your location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google is far from the only company to implement \u201cDark Patterns\u201d in its UX design <em>(dark patterns are little tricks in the way that user interface is designed to confuse users into doing things they wouldn\u2019t normally do, like make a purchase or give away private information)<\/em>, but with recent heightened awareness over user data security, consumer trust has become increasingly intertwined with company transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google <em>does<\/em> vaguely mention continued location tracking after turning off your Location History. This information can be found by clicking on the \u201cLearn More\u201d link when you go to \u201cturn off\u201d your location history, but it conveniently fails to mention where you can go to <em>really<\/em> turn off location tracking &#8211; for ALL location services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f10315df002&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f10315df002\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"734\" height=\"191\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-location-history-min-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116586\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-location-history-min-1.jpg 734w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-location-history-min-1-300x78.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It is possible to turn off continued location tracking by Google Location Services in your Web &amp; App Activity setting (shown below), though information about where and how to do this from Google itself seems to be somewhat lacking in transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f10315df854&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f10315df854\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"655\" height=\"490\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-web-activity-min.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116583\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-web-activity-min.jpg 655w, https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Social-Recap-16-web-activity-min-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stay on top of key changes in social media &amp; digital marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep up on new developments in all things SMM inside the <strong>#SocialRecap<\/strong> &#8211; and make sure your social media strategies are ready for upcoming changes and updates to the social media tools and platforms you use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get your social media news the way YOU want it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Read about the latest highlights &amp; trends in the <strong>#SocialRecap<\/strong> right here on the blog.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Catch the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Brand24\/videos\/2172457046360373\/\"><strong>MINI #SocialRecap<\/strong> on Facebook<\/a> <em>(just the headlines + a few fun facts).<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/brand24pl\"><strong>FULL<\/strong> <strong>#SocialRecap<\/strong> on YouTube<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Listen to the <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-151720411\/ep-16-how-alex-jones-inspired-a-viral-twitter-block-list-social-media-news\"><strong>FULL #SocialRecap<\/strong> on Soundcloud<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Are there any other topics or tools that you want to see in the #SocialRecap? Let us know and we&#8217;ll dig into it for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Chia_Mama_Mia\"><strong>Tweet us<\/strong><\/a><strong> or comment on any of the FB, YT or SoundCloud versions mentioned above &#8211; we&#8217;ll be <a href=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/what-is-social-listening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/what-is-social-listening\/\">listening<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week in top social media news updates finds a viral Twitter &#8220;block list&#8221;, new features in FB Live \/ IG \/ &amp; other tools, and re-evaluates voice shopping. More news inside!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":116733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4149],"tags":[2580,3156,3186,162,63,3162,3180,3189,3195,1321,3183,3165,203,3168,3153,12,2806,54,104,2809,2985,3171,3150,51,3174,3177,3192,3159],"class_list":["post-116394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-platform-guides","tag-socialrecap","tag-alex-jones","tag-alex-jones-infowars","tag-digital-marketing","tag-facebook","tag-facebook-fundraiser","tag-facebook-fundraising","tag-facebook-live","tag-fake-news-on-social-media","tag-google","tag-google-location-history","tag-how-to-make-a-poll-on-instagram","tag-instagram","tag-instagram-poll","tag-internet-research-agency","tag-marketing","tag-smm","tag-social-media","tag-social-media-marketing","tag-social-media-news","tag-social-media-updates","tag-social-news","tag-spotify","tag-twitter","tag-twitter-api","tag-twitter-api-changes","tag-twitter-block-list","tag-voice-shopping"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"cf_author_first_name":"Chia","cf_author_last_name":"Lee","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116394"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181996,"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116394\/revisions\/181996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brand24.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}