Every year, social media platforms roll out new features and functionalities. For 2020, here are the new features we would like to see. Are you listening, Instagram?
Ability to share content on Instagram
Yes, I know, if someone tags an account, that account can share content in Stories—but that’s a clunky system. Using a third party app is clumsy and time-consuming. We would like to see easily shareable content in app, just like on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. You can do it, Instagram!
Posting from your desktop on Instagram
I think this would benefit everyone, not just social media marketers. Sometimes you want to edit your video or photo, and posting from desktop (or laptop) would just make that easier.
Clickable links in social posts
Instagram only allows clickable links in a profile bio, or in a swipe up on stories. Wouldn’t it benefit everyone to be able to post clickable links in post copy? It can’t be that hard—Facebook does it. Do you two ever share code? You’re sister companies: time to partner up.
Opting out of Sponsored InMail on LinkedIn
No one likes a commercial they have not approved popping up in their social messages. Facebook Messenger requires that you opt-in before a sponsored message can come through—why doesn’t LinkedIn do the same? I don’t even look at my DMs on LinkedIn any more because 95% are solicitations. For the record, advertisers, this is not the best advertising buy. And LinkedIn, you can do better.
Better fake account blocking
Social media may be the one thing we complain about more than politics, and that’s partly because of all the fake political stories. Rather than blocking (or snoozing) friends and family who share these phony and manipulative stories, I wish the social platforms were better at detecting and blocking misinformation campaigns driven by bot posting. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to delegate oversight of our first amendment rights to social media companies—but the fake news profiles could be identified and routed out if these companies would take more responsibility.
These are some of the changes I would like to see in 2020. What do you wish the social platforms would do differently this year?
Christy Kirk, Vice President of Client Services, is a social media strategist, writer, and former television journalist, who’s done everything from launch a news department to create social content and strategy for Fortune 500 companies and brands including Pampers Diapers, Pantene, Luvs Diapers and Carlson Rezidor Hotels. Now, Christy manages marketing projects for Weaving Influence, with an emphasis on social media marketing. She is also a wife and mother of three children, one dog, and one cat. She loves reading, baking, running, hiking and exploring new places.