Instagram just added shopping tags to Reels, meaning TikTok will have to step up to the game in 2021. The shopping tags will prompt Reels watchers to use Instagram for their online shopping. 

Reels creators and brands can use the tags in any video that promotes a product – users can then click ‘view product’ which will open up Instagram’s shopping tab. This will serve two purposes for Instagram; for one, it will further promote the social app as one of the best e-commerce social media platforms, and it will also gain a competitive advantage over TikTok which does not yet have powerful e-commerce options. The company is still the most downloaded social media platform of 2020, so it will be interesting to see whether that continues into the new year.

It’s that time of year! Google just released its Year in Search 2020 and the results are pretty powerful. The video suggests that the most common questions started with ‘why,’ reminding audiences that the year was difficult but the human desire to keep searching continues.

The top three searches of 2020 were Coronavirus, Election results and Kobe Bryant. Unsurprisingly, in fourth place was Zoom as the majority of the world had to adjust from working from home or getting an education from home. In terms of market research, many searches also looked up recipes and pop culture references, which indicates that consumer behaviour shifted towards staying in the know and taking up at-home hobbies such as cooking. Although the year was difficult, particularly for vulnerable communities, it was interesting to see Google’s video which brought together moments of happiness and sadness and conclude that people will continue to search for answers.

The U.S government is suing Facebook for illegally maintaining a monopoly on social networking. If the government wins, it could mean that Facebook will have to divest from Instagram and WhatsApp. 

New York’s attorney general Letitia James made a statement this week, saying “Today, we are taking action to stand up for the millions of consumers and many small businesses that have been harmed by Facebook’s illegal behaviour.” The FTC’s argument essentially argues that because Facebook acquired Instagram and WhatsApp, it eliminated any competition in digital marketing. While this isn’t the first time that Facebook faced an antitrust lawsuit, it is the first time that they could face repercussions. However, The Verge’s latest report suggests that the company will likely face a painful period, but it won’t be the end of Facebook.

So. many. stories! Twitter is making it easier to put tweets on Snapchat and Instagram stories starting this week. Almost a month after releasing Fleets, its own version of stories, the app wants even more ‘story’ features. 

This will work by allowing users to post stickers of tweets, which would then prompt users to open up the tweet on Twitter by clicking on it. It’s a good idea considering many users screenshot tweets and post them on Instagram anyway. It will also be available on Snapchat and will work in the same way. This decision is likely aimed at Millenials and Gen Z who make up the majority of Snapchat users.

For the first time, Reddit has released its Year in Review video featuring highlights of 2020, along with a report that shows how much the company has grown this year. The report states that the company had 52 million daily active users, which surged by 44% since 2019. 

Similar to Google, the video features low and high moments; from funny quarantine trends to honouring the lives we lost in 2020 such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Alex Trebek. Along with highlighting the most popular Reddit topics, it also showed the most upvoted AMAs, which turned out to be Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat. Watch the video here.