Social Media News: September 2017 Edition

If there's one thing that is constant about social media, it's that it is ever changing. Some of your favorite social media platforms rolled out big changes this month. Here's the highlights of what you should know:

-Apple Reveals the New iPhone: Not a social media update per se, but the big thing on every marketer's mind is Apple betting big on face recognition and augmented reality software. This software has already been used to great effect by Snapchat and copied by Facebook/Instagram. The fact that Apple's putting it on all three of its new phones likely means augmented reality and facial recognition software will continue to gain traction across social media platforms. Apple is apparently also working with Snapchat to create even better face filters.

-Facebook Says Goodbye to Power Editor: Facebook decided to shake up its ad platform this month, getting rid of Power Editor and promising to roll some of its best features into its existing Ads Manager platform. I also noticed that new demographic targeting options were rolled out this month.

-Instagram Stories Expand: Instagram is rolling out the ability to create and watch Instagram Stories on the desktop and mobile web (outside of the app). They're also apparently testing a feature that would allow you to push Instagram Stories over to Facebook Stories.

-LinkedIn Expands Advertising Reach: LinkedIn launched its new audience network which will allow you to "get your Sponsored Content in front of more people, on LinkedIn and across the web". What's most exciting about this launch? Outlook users will reportedly start seeing sponsored content from LinkedIn advertisers in their inboxes. I have an Outlook account so I am interested to see how this will play out! 

What do you think of these changes? Which one are you most excited to try out? Let me know if the comments below!