Social space

Every month, Fadi Khater provides an overview and analyses the latest social media news and trends in the GCC

The top three most discussed topics were politics, education, and entertainment in that order followed by health and technology. Political discussions revolved around tension between the US and Iran, and the passing away of Oman’s Sultan Qaboos.

Educational discussions were about the midterm exams in Saudi Arabia, while entertainment conversations were predominantly about New Year celebrations, concerts, and fireworks.

Health mentions included discussions about the health implications of the solar eclipse, and technology mentions included the launch of the new Huawei Mate 30 Pro and TikTok security.

Other hot topics included rain in the UAE, and Liverpool winning the FIFA Club World Cup.

The latest updates to social media platforms include:

Twitter:

Adds a GIF creation option for iOS Live Photos

Announces ‘Promoted Trend Spotlight’ to provide brands with prime placements in the Explore tab Removes ‘Audience Insights’ tab from its native analytics platform

Tests four new categories that enables users to limit who can reply to their tweets

Facebook:

Allows users to add or hide themselves from Custom Audience lists Opens Brand Collabs Manager to Instagram

Refreshes its ‘Privacy Check-up’ tool to simplify privacy settings for users

Removes the option of signing up to Messenger without having a Facebook profile

Rolls out ‘Page Management History’ showing all actions taken by page admins

Instagram:

Tries out new split-screen grid layouts for Stories

Works on ‘Shoutouts’ providing users with custom templates for birthdays and other occasions

Tests ‘Poses’ allowing users to combine four photos in a stop-motion Story Updates Boomerang to include trim and tweak features Introduces Group Stories allowing friends to collaborate on a private Story

Is expanding its anti-bullying warnings to include offensive captions

Allows brands to set different age limits for followers per country

Snapchat:

Tests GIF ‘Cameos’ allowing users to create GIFs with their own faces Launches ‘Swipe-up to Call’ ads exclusively in the Middle East

Debuts interactive ads with a ‘Trailer Reaction Lens’ for “Top Gun: Maverick” Announces ‘Snapchat Scan’ allowing users to unlock AR experiences by scanning a brand’s logo Introduces ‘Bitmoji TV’ creating animated cartoon shows with people’s avatars

TikTok:

Considers new music tab targeted for select verified artists to include their songs